Heart and Soul
by ebhg
Summary: Edward is nearly broken when he loses a dear friend in an accident. When he meets Bella at Forks High, not only is his heart healed, but his soul as well. However, Bella has a secret that could make or break them. AU/AH Twilight with a few twists.
1. We Should Date

**Heart and Soul Chapter 1**

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

I once thought 'what's the point of an all human Twilight story? Wouldn't it be better to change the names and make it original?' Then I read a few that were pretty good. _Then_, I was bitten by this rabid plot bunny…it had sharp, pointy teeth! This is Twilight, with an infusion of Return to Me.

**Rest assured; this is Edward/Bella** :)

* * *

**1. We Should Date**

Thirteen miles outside of Port Angeles, Edward Cullen sat in Granny's Café, a side-of-the-road motel/restaurant just off of Highway 101. It was a popular place amongst the teens of Forks, as it had good, cheap food and had the distinction of being outside of Forks, but not quite so far as Port Angeles. He thought back over the course of the evening at the circumstances that had brought him to where he currently sat, pushing his barely-touched food around his plate.

His evening had started normally enough. He and his best friend Tanya had gone to Port Angeles in the late afternoon in search of a new CD that had recently been released. On their way home, Tanya had suggested that they stop for dinner. Edward readily agreed, seeing as he was hungry and they still had a couple of hours before they were required to be home.

Usually Esme and Carlisle, Edward's adopted parents, only allowed him and Tanya to drive to Port Angeles with an adult or older sibling in tow. This was their first solo excursion since Edward had become a licensed driver three months before. Edward scoffed internally when he thought about how often Emmett had teased him about needing a chaperone on his "dates" with Tanya.

Edward had always told his adoptive brother to shove it, because he and Tanya were just friends. They weren't dates, so no chaperone was needed; they just had to go with a more experienced driver on the highway. Looking back now, however, Edward wondered how he had missed Tanya's hints in the last few months.

He had felt an unexpected, nervous, giddiness when they stopped at the Café. Going to the music store by themselves wasn't unusual. Esme had dropped them off there to browse together while she did other errands dozens of times in the past. But this evening, when Edward had opened the door and offered her a hand out of the car, he had suddenly felt like his earlier denials to Emmett were a bit of a lie. Tanya had smiled and stepped closer to him than she usually did, wrapping both hands at his elbow as though he were a courting Victorian gentleman. This had the feel of a date, and Edward found himself feeling very confused. Her declaration of "_We should date…" _over their dinner of roast beef had caught him even further by surprise. The bus boy had asked him if he needed the Heimlich.

"Edward, you are so stubborn!" He startled and looked up from his thoroughly mixed potatoes and gravy into Tanya's patiently exasperated face. He shook his head to clear it. What exactly _did_ he want?

"Tanya, I don't want to ruin our friendship…" he began, uncertain why he was suddenly so nervous with a girl that he had been best friends with for years. He wondered if perhaps the thought of Mr. Duchovny, Tanya's very protective father, had something to do with his sudden case of nerves.

"So you won't even try?" she asked.

"We're only 16," he defended himself.

"You think too much," Tanya scoffed playfully.

"We've been friends for a long time; what if it ends badly?" Edward asked.

"You say that like you know it will," Tanya's tone was slightly less playful, almost hurt.

"That's not fair…"

"I love you, Edward, I have for a while. Age is irrelevant. My mother was married to my father at my age." Her voice was thick with emotion, her beautiful Russian accent becoming more pronounced. Edward knew that Tanya and her sisters spoke Russian at home with their father, but never outside the house and never in front of him. He always wanted to hear it though. He realized that his mouth had fallen open at the word "married" and he promptly closed it.

"You've never said anything before now. I feel like I'm in shock. Usually, I feel like I know your every thought…but right now I don't know what _I _think, let alone you…" Edward's brow creased in his confusion.

"Just say, '_Tanya, I love you too_.' What is so hard about that? Why can't you see that we'd be good together?"

"Can I think about it? I just feel like we're so young. How do you know love is what you're feeling? I'm just so confused all of a sudden. Maybe next week you'll love Mike Newton." Tanya scoffed at the lost expression on Edward's face.

"Easy, women are smarter than men when it comes to feelings. I'm definitely smarter than to fall in love with Mike Newton," Tanya smirked. Edward gave a half grin and lightly punched her upper arm like he always did when she teased him.

"Let's get going. I promised my parents that I'd be home by nine, and it's still an hour drive."

"That's the problem with Forks; all the good date scenes are in Port Angeles. Half the date is wasted on driving here." Tanya said. Edward merely raised an eyebrow and fixed her with an incredulous look as they paid for their dinner and stood from their table.

"Ok, I admit, it's not a date unless both participants are aware of it beforehand," Tanya said sheepishly. Edward just shook his head and grinned at her. He helped Tanya with her coat before putting on his own. A cold front had just come in, the temperature was near freezing, and only dropped further when the sun dipped below the horizon. Esme was always worried that he would get into an accident driving at night, being such a new driver. Their parents had only agreed to let them come out tonight on the promise that they would drive carefully and obey all the speed limits. That and Tanya's innocent, wide pleading eyes, which melted Esme every time.

"Maybe we can do something over the weekend. I think I would fare better if I wasn't coerced to come in the first place." Edward hip-checked Tanya as they walked out the door of the restaurant to his car so she would know that he was teasing her. They had been best friends since they were seven. Edward had moved into Forks around the same time as Tanya; her family had just emigrated from Russia and the newly-formed, Cullen family of three had just moved in from Chicago. They were both very reserved by nature, and had come together as the common outsiders in their school class. The other kids their age had all been born in Forks; as such, they tended to leave the strange Russian girl and the weird adopted kid alone.

Edward had been adopted after his birth parents had died in a fire that burned their house in Chicago to the ground. His father had been trapped inside by the collapsing roof after he helped his wife and son to climb out of the second story window in Edward's room. His mother had died soon after; she had been too overwhelmed by grief after watching the house collapse on her husband and by trying to dig through the still burning rubble to find him.

Elizabeth had tried to protect Edward, taking him across the street to the gathered neighbors before she turned around and walked purposely back to the burning pile of debris. In her futile attempt to save her husband, she had neglected herself. Elizabeth suffered too many burns and severe smoke inhalation, and died alongside her beloved husband.

Carlisle had been the doctor to evaluate Edward at the hospital. He had felt a connection with the newly orphaned five year old boy. Since he and his wife Esme were unable to have children, it was easy for Carlisle to convince his wife that they ought to take in the sad, sooty boy with expressive green eyes. Carlisle joked that Esme was at the hospital, a bag of clothes with the tags still attached in hand, before the phone line had fully disconnected.

"What are you thinking?" Tanya's soft, barely-there accent pulled Edward from his memories. He was surprised to find that they had reached the car. He had been so absorbed in his memories that he had simply stopped beside Tanya, toying with the set of keys in his hand.

"I was just remembering," Edward said softly, meeting Tanya's eyes apologetically.

"Happy memories? I think not, if your face is to be the judge." Tanya looked at him knowingly.

"Meeting you, my parents, the usual," Edward said with a reserved smile that didn't reach his eyes. There was an unspoken understanding between them that it wasn't Carlisle and Esme that he was speaking of. Tanya was one of the few who knew that Edward was still haunted by what happened in Chicago.

"Do not think of the past tonight; think of the future, of how happy things could be," Tanya said.

"I'll try. You know? You don't act like you're barely 16; you have the wisdom of a millennium," Edward said with respect.

"Are you saying I'm ancient?" Tanya said with a twinkle in her eye. She was an expert at pulling him out of his somber moods; her teasing was usually the quickest way to make him think of happier things.

"No!" Edward said, backtracking. "You're just so intelligent; and not just academically. You always know what to say to me to make me stop moping," Edward finished with a grateful smile. Tanya smiled back.

Mrs. Duchovny and Tanya's younger brother had been killed in the cross-fire of a shoot-out between police and an infamous crime-czar before her family had come to the States. It was another thing that had brought them together and bonded them as young children. Edward had found that few children his age could sympathize with the death of one or both parents, especially not in such traumatic circumstances. Tanya had singled Edward out her first day at Forks Elementary and had surprised him by opening the conversation with, "My mommy died too…"

"Let's get home before my father or your mother calls," Tanya said. Losing his wife had left Mr. Duchovny very protective of his three daughters. Esme was a notorious worrier; she was usually the one of Edward's parents to call if he was late coming home.

Edward unlocked his car; it was really his father's Mercedes, but Carlisle had promised that if he avoided any tickets for the first year he had his license, he would help Edward pay for the sporty silver Volvo that he had been wanting since he saw it in one of Rosalie's _Car and Driver_ magazines.

Tanya sat in her seat sideways leaning against the door, her left leg tucked under her, and her right resting on the floorboard.

"Buckle up, Tanya; you know I'm not going to start this car without it," Edward said with a playful glare. Tanya made a show of buckling her belt, but she tucked the shoulder strap under her arm.

"It's so uncomfortable; you are a safe driver, I trust you," Tanya said.

"Thank you, but I want to make sure you're safe; you _are_ very important to me," Edward said, suddenly much more serious.

"I will be; you're important to me too," Tanya murmured, grasping Edward's hand that was resting on the console between the seats. Edward gave her one of his crooked grins before he started the car and pulled away from Granny's Café, grasping the wheel with both hands. He drove slowly through the parking lot and to the highway onramp. He picked up speed as he got onto the 101, though he was still driving slower than usual. The rain that had been falling all day had still not stopped and was showing signs of turning to snow as the sun and the temperature dropped. Edward had limited experience driving in snow, since he had only gotten his license during the summer just after his birthday.

"You're so tense, Edward; I'll put on some music. Don't worry so much, this is a safe car," Tanya said dismissively as she pulled out Edward's zippered case of CD's and put on a collection of classical music. Debussy filtered into the car from the speakers. Tanya kept the conversation going, as Edward was too tense to join in more than an occasional, 'yeah,' or 'mhmm.'

They were about five miles outside of Forks when Edward saw a pair of headlights coming around the curve ahead. The small SUV's high beams were on, blinding Edward as they crossed his field of vision. Although he was a fairly inexperienced driver, he knew the oncoming car was coming too fast for the road conditions. Edward remembered that there was an overpass between the approaching SUV and his father's Mercedes, spanning an old forest service road tucked into a shallow valley. This was always the first area of the highway between Forks and Port Angeles that iced over. Many times Carlisle had told Edward to be careful driving through here, as his father had seen too many seriously injured accident victims in his ER after driving carelessly through this area in icy weather.

Edward let off the accelerator, hoping to time his overpass crossing after the oncoming vehicle had gotten across. The other driver was coming too fast though; they came onto the 50-foot stretch of concrete at the same moment as the Mercedes. Instantly, Edward's heart thundered as he watched the other car start to slide on the inevitable ice that covered the overpass. He let off the accelerator, not sure how to deal with an out-of-control car heading in his direction while he was caught on a shoulder-less road bordered on both sides by guardrails preventing a twenty foot drop.

"Edward," Tanya said nervously, her accent becoming more pronounced in her anxiety.

"I know, I…" Edward started. Suddenly, the other driver had lost any semblance of control over his vehicle and was barreling towards Edward and Tanya much too fast. Everything seemed to move in slow motion and yet too fast at the same time. Edward was hoping to avoid the oncoming collision, but he panicked as the driver's side of the SUV slammed into the Mercedes.

Both airbags deployed, though it was a slightly older model lacking side-curtain airbags. The windshield had splintered on impact, and was making an ominous groaning sound as the car was struck again by the SUV and thrown into a spin on the ice.

Edward was momentarily dazed after his airbag deployed. His head cleared as Tanya screamed his name repeatedly, followed by a steady stream of Russian. She had slipped out of her haphazardly fastened seat belt and was pinned under the dash on the floorboard. Edward tried to turn the wheel and brake at the same time; anything to stop the terrifying slide. The steering wheel was useless; the suspension had broken on impact with the larger vehicle. He had no way to direct the vehicle; they were at the mercy of the ice.

Slamming on the brakes in panic however, was a bad idea. Edward let off the brakes just as the passenger side slammed into the guardrail and slid several feet along the length of it. The metal-screeching-on-metal sound threatened to deafen them. Edward still gripped the useless steering wheel in a white-knuckled panic, unable to release it. Edward closed his eyes in terror as he heard Tanya speaking in Russian; just earlier this evening he would have begged to hear her speak in her native tongue. Now, he wished he had never heard her speaking it, not like this.

A sudden shift in direction caused his eyes to fly open; he looked out the cracked windshield and his heart froze. The Mercedes had slid to the end of the guard rail and was starting to pivot around the end. The car was caught in a tormented game of teeter-totter before it lost the fight with gravity and rolled down the embankment. The damaged windshield buckled under the pressure, sending glass flying in every direction as the car turned over and over. Edward could feel the stinging sensations in his face and arms and hands as every window in the Mercedes exploded, adding to the glass shower.

Edward gasped in pain as something struck him in the abdomen. A fire fifty-times worse than the stinging in his skin was lit in his gut. The burning feeling increased every time the car turned over again. Edward feared that the Mercedes would never stop. He was dizzy and nauseated and in excruciating pain.

Finally the car was jarred to a sudden halt, resting on its roof against an ancient moss covered pine. The pain in his gut intensified more than Edward thought was possible, until it was almost impossible to breathe. Black spots danced over his vision, and his ears would not stop ringing. Edward realized that he was hanging in his seat, suspended by his seatbelt, as his knuckles brushed the broken glass littering the roof interior that was now below him. He couldn't hear Tanya anymore; he only momentarily acknowledged the fact that the Mercedes had stopped moving before he closed his eyes and slid into black oblivion.

* * *

**A/N: Please Review! If this is your first time reading Heart and Soul, I'll tell you that I respond to *all* my reviews and I'm addicted to reading and receiving them! Don't hate me for seriously maiming Edward:) It's a very important part of the plot...in fact, in the next couple chapters, you'll see exactly why I did it! Let me know what you think! *ducks head and dons toy helmet* I'm ready!**


	2. Out of Body Experience

**Heart and Soul Chapter 2**

**Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer; I'm just borrowing it:)**

**

* * *

  
**

Carlisle only had to finish his rounds and dictate some notes in his office before he could end his long and tiresome double-shift. He had pulled the double to cover for a young doctor whose wife had just delivered their first child. Carlisle had been on-call now for 19 hours, and he was ready to get home to his wife. He could not wait until Esme picked him up; she had promised to take him to a late dinner if he allowed Edward to pick up the Mercedes to take Tanya to Port Angeles.

Carlisle couldn't help but smile to himself when he thought of his first adopted son and his son's best friend. They had been friends through thick and thin and Carlisle had half-expected to hear an announcement from the two of them regarding the nature of their relationship. Poor Tanya had been trying to encourage Edward into something more than friendship for awhile now; Edward just wasn't responding; the thought of his clueless son made Carlisle chuckle as he poured over the chart in his hands.

"We've got an emergency call coming in Dr. Cullen; we could use your help in the ER," a frazzled nurse said when she saw Carlisle notating the chart he had been looking at outside the patient's room.

"Sure, I guess I could stay a little longer," Carlisle said. He looked at his watch and sighed to himself before apologizing to Esme in his mind. Apparently, their late romantic dinner would not be happening tonight. Shoving the chart into its cubby at the nurse's station, he made his way into the emergency department.

"What's the situation? Did someone freeze their tongue to a pole again?" Carlisle asked, hoping to ease the tension among the waiting doctors and nurses. The nervous energy in the room was typical when there was an emergency enroute. Carlisle was a seasoned emergency room doctor though. He knew that too much anxiety caused mistakes in the heat of the moment, and he tried to lighten the attitudes of his colleagues. He didn't want any of the younger staff second-guessing any decisions that they made tonight. Working in an ER in a small town like Forks wasn't as busy or as exciting as the big city hospitals in Seattle; the cases that came into the ER here in Forks were often more humorous or embarrassing than urgent. He had hoped that was the case tonight, rather than something truly traumatic.

"Car accident; the paramedics on scene radioed that it was a real mess. Two cars lost control on the ice on the old forest service overpass and hit head on; one of them was apparently driving too fast for the conditions on the road. The other driver lost control and left the road, rolling several times before hitting a tree," a nurse at the check-in desk said.

"Well, I hope Edward is careful then; he was in Port Angeles tonight," Carlisle said, a tone of worry creeping into his voice. A voice crackled over the radio, "_We've got a woman, Victoria Laurent, late twenties with some minor injuries waiting for transport; James Laurent, driver of the car was deceased on our arrival. It appears he was killed on impact. The other vehicle left the road and the driver is still trapped inside; driver is aware but not very coherent…What?" _the paramedic relaying information to the hospital paused; it was soon apparent that he was listening to someone at the second vehicle.

"_Holy crow…we've got two occupants from the second vehicle, passenger was ejected from the vehicle. We're calling for a helicopter; she's in critical condition and requires life-flight to Seattle," _the radio operator paused again. _ "Is Dr. Cullen there?" _he asked, with a reserved tone to his voice.

"Yes, I'm here," Carlisle said, coming around the desk to be heard more clearly. His heart was starting to feel heavy. '_Why would dispatch be worried about where I was?'_ Carlisle thought.

"_Driver of the second vehicle has been extricated for transport and is in critical condition; his blood pressure is 94/68, his pulse is 75 and he's in and out of consciousness. Lots of cuts and contusions, but the airbags deployed, so he's lucky. We've started an IV en route to raise his BP, but we suspect some internal bleeding," _The paramedic on the radio, David, if Carlisle remembered correctly, paused again before he dropped his bomb.

"_Dr. Cullen? Carlisle… I'm sorry, but it's your son, Edward."_

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Edward? Can you hear me? Eddie, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand. We're working on getting you out," said the voice.

"Tanya? Where's Tanya?" Edward asked groggily. "I can't hear Tanya…" he drifted off again.

"Crap…We've got a passenger somewhere! Tanya, according to our driver," the paramedic yelled to his companions. Edward moaned in pain. His stomach ached and his hips and shoulder hurt where the seatbelt dug into them.

"We found her! We need a helicopter! She needs to go to Seattle, STAT! Forks General can't handle her injuries," another paramedic said. Instantly the request was radioed in; it was only ten minutes later that a low thum, thum, thum, thum, thum, thum was heard coming from Port Angeles. Edward was freed from the mangled Mercedes and was being strapped to a backboard as he heard the rotors beating. His body felt as though it was on fire, and he couldn't seem to keep his eyes open. He felt groggy and disconnected, as though he wasn't quite awake and he was dreaming the whole thing. He couldn't see the helicopter, but he could feel the cold breeze coming from up the hill, on the road where the helicopter had landed. Edward wondered why there was a helicopter on the highway. Didn't they know they couldn't land on the road? Someone must have told the pilots they weren't allowed to be there, because a few minutes later, Edward could hear the blades start their rhythmic thum, thum, thum, and the breeze faded away with the sound.

"Let's get you loaded up, Eddie; we'll take you to see your Dad, and you'll be better in no time," said a disembodied voice. Edward couldn't turn his head to see who had said it; his head was completely immobilized. He did recognize the voice as the original paramedic to speak to him, when he was still hanging upside down in the car. When had they gotten him out? How did he miss that? Edward was jolted out of his thoughts when he realized that three men in firefighter's uniforms were carrying him up the icy slope to the road where an ambulance waited. The rain had turned to snow; icy flakes were falling onto Edward's immobilized face.

The persistent voice near his head kept blabbering nonsense. The ringing in Edward's ears kept him from hearing much of what the man was saying, and occasionally the man would lean over Edward's face and grin. Something about "stay with us." Where would he go? He couldn't move. "You'll be fine" What was wrong with him? Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.

"Don't…call…me…Eddie…" he groaned. Edward heard a few people around him chuckle. The paramedic holding Edward's feet lost his footing and slipped to one knee, causing Edward to grimace and yell out in pain.

"Sorry," the paramedic said as he got to his feet and they continued climbing. Then Edward was being jostled as the paramedics laid his backboard on a gurney and buckled several straps over him before they loaded the stretcher into the ambulance.

"You'll be alright, Edward; you've got lots of fight in you," said a female paramedic at his head. She leaned over his face and put an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. "Just rest, we'll be at the hospital soon," she said, and patted his hand that didn't have an IV in it. Edward drifted back into unconsciousness.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Where is he?! Where's my son?! Where is Edward?!" Esme nearly screamed as she rushed into the reception area of the hospital with her four other children on her heels.

"Mrs. Cullen, your husband is in surgery with him right now," said a nurse Esme was vaguely familiar with. "He had some internal bleeding when he came in. Carlisle is the best surgeon in the state; and he's got Dr. Gerandy on board to keep him focused. They'll do the best they can."

"Internal bleeding? The best they can? What exactly does that mean? He's going to be fine, right? What happened?!" Esme was near hysterical, tears coming hard and fast. "Tanya?! What about his friend, Tanya? Where is she? Has anyone told her father or sisters?" Esme asked after taking a moment to wipe the moisture from her eyes and cheeks.

"She was air-lifted to Seattle; anymore than that, you'll have to talk to her family, we're not able to share anything more, nor do we have a current update on her," the receptionist behind the front desk said.

Esme was reeling, how could this be happening? She couldn't lose Edward. She and Carlisle had adopted him as a young boy after Esme had just lost her sixth pregnancy. Her last pregnancy had gone the farthest; she had been able to hold the tiny premature boy as he had breathed his last breath, but it had nearly destroyed her. Adopting Edward was the only thing that had healed her heart. She would never admit it to any of her other children that had joined their family in the years following, but Edward was her favorite. She had a feeling that the other kids knew it regardless and teased Edward because of it.

She couldn't lose him. Esme's eyes burned with tears that threatened once more to spill out over her cheeks, and she sank to her knees. Instantly, her bear of a son, Emmett was picking her up and taking her over to the stiff vinyl couch in the family waiting area near the ER. Emmett set her down in the middle of it and sat next to her, while Alice sat on her other side. Rosalie and Jasper pulled up a couple of plastic chairs and held each other's hands, communicating as only twins could. Jasper reached out and took Alice's hand while Rosalie took Emmett's, completing the family circle as they waited for news of their son and brother.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

_Beep……………beep……………………………….beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…_

"_He's flat-lining!"_

"_He's going into cardiac arrest, bring the paddles…" _disembodied voices started swimming out of the blackness towards Edward, saying things that sounded familiar, yet strange. He felt like he was watching one of the reality shows on the cable health channel that his father loved to record. Carlisle had driven everyone nuts when he filled all the DVR memory with _Trauma in the ER_ episodes.

Suddenly, Edward found himself looking down on the scene that he had been listening to. It was as though he were standing in the observation gallery directly over the operating room at Forks General. Curious, he looked down and realized that his father was in the operating room, frantic, and shouting out orders to the harassed nurses before the other doctor took over and had him sit down.

"Edward, fight! You can't do this to Esme… it would kill her too…" Carlisle said; his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. It was then that Edward realized that it was _him_ on the table, being operated on. The car accident came rushing back in fast forward; he watched as a nurse handed the defibrillator paddles to Dr. Gerandy while Carlisle sobbed into his hands and whispered prayers; then he felt a tremendous _JOLT!_

_Beep…beep…beep…_

Instantly, Edward was conscious on the table, aware of the excruciating pain that was coursing through his body. He groaned and was instantly sorry; he had been intubated for the surgery. The breathing tube down his throat felt large and he fought back the instinctive gag reflex. His constant swallowing motions and attempted sounds caused him a good deal of discomfort. He was unconsciously trying to fight the ventilator; his brain unable to turn of the reflexive breathing instinct. The anesthesiologist sitting at the head of the table swore when he realized that Edward was lucid; then he leaned over and injected something into Edward's IV line.

"_There, that should do it," _came from the anesthesiologist but Edward could have sworn his lips never moved. "_Kid must have gained since he got his license…had a growth spurt…makes sense, he is 16…"_ Again the man hovering over Edward's face, checking his tubing and IV, never moved his lips. Though Edward could have sworn he heard him speaking clear as day. Before he could think any further on it, the medications started to take effect, numbing him and pulling the blackness back over his eyes.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

This was the one duty as police chief that Charlie Swan despised. Tanya's father had nearly collapsed when he came to the door and Charlie told him that there had been an accident. Kate and Irina were both in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner. They came in when they heard the chief of police speaking to their father about their sister.

"I'm sorry, I know this is rough," Charlie said. "They said she's been taken to a bigger hospital in Seattle. Do you need some help getting there?" he asked.

"No, no, my Kate can drive us…" He looked up and looked to his other daughters, hugging each other for support. "Let's get packed. We're going to stay in Seattle for a while," he said.

"Mr. Duchovny, we have special funds for things like this," said Charlie uncomfortably. He didn't feel like it was his place to point out the Duchovny family's lack of wealth. He knew that they were great friends with the Cullens, who were probably the richest folks in town, and that they would offer him money as well.

"No, we are just renting this house; we can just pack our things and rent another place in Seattle until our Tanya is better. That will be easier for us," said Mr. Duchovny.

"Okay, then, best of luck," said Charlie.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Bella? Bella, sweetie? Wake up honey!" said Renee.

"What? I'm awake, I'm awake," Bella said. She rolled over in her stiff hospital bed, feeling tired and run down from the effort. She blinked as the harsh fluorescent light above her head flickered to life and she looked over at the clock on the wall across the room.

"Mom? It's 4:30 in the morning… what's going on?" Bella asked, confused.

"We got a heart, sweetie…you're going to get a new heart…it's coming in on a plane from Washington as we speak…the doctor said that you were the most perfect match in the western United States. We've got to get you showered and prepped; we haven't got a moment to lose."

Bella was overwhelmed as her mother assisted her to shower with the special pre-surgery antibacterial body wash. Her limbs felt heavy and her lungs burned as she paid special attention to the space in the center of her chest, where the surgeon would make the incision. As she toweled off and her mother helped her into a clean, fresh hospital gown, Bella thought back on the journey that she had taken to get to where she was now.

Bella had been on the waiting list for a heart transplant since she was thirteen. It had seemed lately that it would never happen and she would die before her sixteenth birthday. As she shuffled back to her bed and collapsed exhausted into it, Bella looked over at the calendar next to the clock on the wall. Every day that she had lain in her hospital bed, Bella or her mother had crossed it off on the calendar. Bella fought the chuckle that seemed to sprout from her lips at the irony of the situation. It was September the thirteenth, 2003; her sixteenth birthday. The day that she had been given earthly life was the day that she would be re-born through someone else's death.

"Happy birthday, sweetie!" said Renee, her eyes full of tears. Her mother was too relieved at the hope that they had before them to see the melancholy that Bella had momentarily felt. Her spirits were uplifted though, when Phil came over and wrapped his arm around Renee, in grateful relief before he leaned in and gave Bella a light punch in the shoulder.

"Congratulations, kiddo," he said good-naturedly. Suddenly they were all three crying and hugging each other.

"It's really happening…I'm ready…I want to live," Bella said, though with that realization, she felt renewed guilt that she would live because someone else had died; had unknowingly given their life for her, Bella Swan.

"How's our patient?" asked Bella's cardiologist, Dr. Wilcox, as he walked into her room. He was eager to get things moving after a long three year wait.

"I'm ready," Bella repeated, reassuring herself as much as her mother and Phil.

"Let's get his show on the road then," her doctor said enthusiastically. Several smiling nurses came in with some disposable booties and a hair net for Bella to wear while she was in surgery.

"We'll be waiting outside, Sweetie, stay strong. I've got to call Charlie," said Renee.

"Thanks Mom, I'll see you when I get out." Renee leaned in and pressed a kiss on her forehead before taking Phil's hand and walking out, already pulling out her cell phone and turning it on.

"Charlie? It's Renee… Bella got a heart; they're taking her in right now… you're probably asleep or out fishing already… you always did like to get an early start. We'll call you when she's out. Bye."

* * *

A/N: Whew! Get it yet? Or was it obvious from the start? I did give you a pretty big clue ;) Anybody catch my _Return to Me_ reference? Hee hee! This is fun. I think I may put away my plastic helmet :) *covers head with hands and looks around* Please review!


	3. Waking Up

**Heart and Soul Chapter 3**

"Edward? Can you hear me? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand. Carlisle said you gave him a scare in the operating room. You're not allowed to do that, Edward. You're supposed to be the strong one. He did say that once you stabilized the surgery was smooth-sailing. Just concentrate on coming back to us, Edward. We love you."

It was a familiar voice, one that Edward remembered from somewhere, but he was too comfortable. He'd think more about it later.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Edward, you've got to come out of it. You've been layin' there plenty long enough. Tanya died a couple days ago; but they donated her heart and stuff, so a lot of people are going to be healthier now. She would like that. Mr. Duchovny said they're staying in Seattle now. James Laurent was the driver of the other car, but he died too; killed on impact. His wife Victoria is saying that the accident was your fault; that you swerved into them because you were speeding on the ice. She was the one to call 911. The paramedics told Carlisle that she was pretty hysterical on the scene, and that Chief Swan almost had to come out an arrest her for assaulting the EMT's until they were able to sedate her.

"Nobody really wants to believe her, 'cause just about everybody in town knows that Mr. Laurent was a crazy driver. That, and she's always been a little off her rocker. But there weren't any other witnesses, so you gotta wake up and tell her to blow her smoke somewhere else. She got all up in Carlisle's face and threatened to go after you for killing James, but Carlisle totally shut her down and sent her packin'. It was pretty sweet to see Carlisle get all papa bear on her.

"The storm got pretty intense for a little bit there while you were in surgery. You know you're gonna have a huge scar on your stomach, by the way? Chicks dig that man… I'll have to teach you how to take advantage of that…it'll be just like Seattle again and don't you worry about your pretty-boy face. Carlisle said you won't have any visible scars…anyway…by the time the snow let up and the police went back to the scene, all the tire tracks were gone, and any skid marks there may have been on the ice melted when the rain started."

'_Emmett. I think that was Emmett,' _thought Edward.

"Esme is just torn up, so is Carlisle. You've gotta wake up and be the Momma's boy you are and play your piano and drive Rosalie nuts with your prudish manners."

'_Yes, it was definitely Emmett.' _Edward thought.

'_He looks so beat up. At least they took that nasty tube out of this throat this morning. It's much easier to look at him now.'_

'_Of course Rosalie would say that. Only she would be grateful that I didn't need life-support anymore because it was easier for her to look at me,' _thought Edward.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Please get better, Edward," said Alice. '_If you don't hurry up and get better Esme is going to go insane.'_

'_I have to wake up,' _Edward thought. '_I'm causing too much grief for my family.'_

Edward stirred and tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't.

"He's waking up! Hit the call button and have them page Carlisle," Esme said while squeezing Edward's free hand.

"Hold on Honey, we're all here, don't worry. We're getting your father, and he'll un-tape your eyes," said Esme.

"Wh-Why are my eyes taped shut?" Edward asked in a low whisper. He groaned and said, "Can I have some water?"

"Edward, how are you doing?" asked Carlisle; he had come running through the door and nearly slid on the highly waxed floor. "Can I have a nurse bring us some ice chips?" Carlisle called over his shoulder.

"Dad?" called Edward. He was confused and disoriented without his sight. "Can we take the tape off?"

"Sure, here we go, this may sting a little…" said Carlisle. He started to gently peel the tape away from his son's eyes. "Your eyes kept coming open; couple of the younger nurses thought you had woken up and were making goo-goo eyes at them," Carlisle explained with a grin and a chuckle. Emmett snorted behind him. Edward grimaced.

"Here you go Dr. Cullen," said a nurse. She was obviously hoping to stick around unnoticed, but Carlisle acknowledged the cup of ice she had set on the tray and dismissed her with, "Thank you, that's all."

The young nurse huffed and walked out of the room before she could be dismissed twice. Emmett snorted and said, "She was the one hoping for some goo-goo eyes wasn't she!"

Carlisle pursed his lips and gave Emmett a look that said, _'Hold your tongue!' _Emmett smiled unrepentantly, though he did quiet down and let Carlisle turn his full attention back to Edward.

"Really, we were making sure that your eyes didn't get overly dry. We didn't want you to wake up, only to tear your corneas when you blinked. Esme's going to feed you some ice. Start slow…" Esme gave Edward some ice on a spoon. He took it eagerly, moving the piece of ice around his parched mouth.

"Why are you all talking at once?" Edward said, shifting the ice into his cheek and very gingerly opening his eyes as Carlisle removed the last piece of tape.

"What? I was the only one saying anything, Edward. Do you have any ringing in your ears?" Carlisle asked.

"No, I heard all of you… your voices, everyone at once," Edward said, looking confusedly at the worried looks on all of their faces.

"I'm not going crazy, Rosalie," Edward said hotly, turning his head towards her and glaring at her. Her eyes widened in shock.

"No one said you were, Honey," Esme soothed.

"Yes, Rose did. I heard her very clearly say, 'Holy crow he's losing his marbles' then Alice said, 'Poor thing, he's probably had a concussion' and I know I didn't imagine it!" Edward said, frustrated.

Esme and Carlisle looked at each other in concern before looking back at Edward.

"Edward, no one said anything-"

"He's right…" Rosalie interrupted, "I didn't _say_ that."

"It's ok, Edward, I'm sure that you'll be fine," Esme soothed, her concern for Edward showing on her face.

"But I did _think_ it," Rosalie continued in a low voice, her eyes wide.

"So did I, I mean, I did _think_ exactly what Edward thought he heard me say," added Alice, her eyes were wide in shock as well. Esme and Carlisle shared an incredulous look.

"I am not 'Carnac the Magnificent' and I do _not_ need a turban, Emmett," Edward said, turning to glare at his brother as well.

"Holy crow! You can! You are reading our minds! You woke up from your coma with freaking ESP!" Emmett started jumping around and laughing exuberantly. Jasper was rooted to the spot, open mouthed. Edward put his hands over his ears, desperate to block out the noise, but nothing would block out the tumult of voices.

"Dad, the man in traction down the hall dropped his call button, and he really needs a bed pan," Edward said, his eyebrows nearly touching in his discomfort. Carlisle stood there with his jaw slightly agape. He had certainly never heard of someone developing ESP as a side effect of a medically induced coma.

"Please, he's really got to go, and if I have to hear him chant 'Gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee' anymore, I may just go myself," said Edward.

"Isn't that what this is for?"asked Emmett as he hefted what was obviously Edward's catheter bag from where it was hooked on the side of the bed.

"What?!" Emmett said at Edward's mortified look, and Carlisle's reprimanding one. "Isn't it? I mean the guy's been asleep for three days, it's not like he can get up and 'go wee' by himself!"

Carlisle leaned over and pushed Edward's call button and asked the nurse at the desk to check on the man in traction. Then he looked at Emmett with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Emmett asked, still confused as to why everyone was embarrassed.

"Emmett, could you possibly develop some tact for once; rather than wave that around?" Edward gestured one-handed at the bag that Emmett still held up at his shoulder while he covered his eyes with his other hand. _'Everyone wees Eddie,'_ Emmett thought with a wicked grin. Edward moved his hand and glared at Emmett.

"Ehem, should I come back at a better time?" a Forks police officer stood at the door, his eyebrows lifted nearly to his hairline as he watched Emmett jiggle the bag at Edward.

"No, Officer, please come in; Emmett was just putting it down," Carlisle said, looking meaningfully at Emmett. Emmett shrugged and replaced the bag on the side of the bed.

"I just wanted to let you know that Chief Swan is going out of town for a while, he's visiting with his daughter down in Phoenix. So, I'll be the one to take your statement, when you're ready. I wasn't actually expecting you to be awake when I came down here, so if you're ready, I'm game."

"Officer, my son just woke up, and as his father, and his doctor, I must insist that you wait," said Carlisle.

"Not, a problem, I'll come back tomorrow." His tone indicated that he would not be delayed any further than that.

"Dad? Why was he thinking of vehicular manslaughter? It wasn't my fault!" Edward said in a trembling voice. Carlisle looked meaningfully around the room and everyone left except Esme. They all came and embraced Edward, whispering their goodbyes as they left.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that Edward. I'm not sure how or why, but you truly seem to be able to read other's thoughts. Did this come on gradually? Do you think you were hearing us in your mind while you were unconscious?"

"Carlisle," Esme said softly.

"Right. I'm just a little amazed by this whole situation," Carlisle said. He looked at Edward's incredulous look and thought, _'Sorry, I'm sure you're feeling overwhelmed.'_

"Overwhelmed doesn't even begin to cover it. Vehicular Manslaughter?" Edward reminded his parents.

"Victoria Laurent is making a fuss. She claims that you were speeding and that you caused the accident, but the paramedics disagreed, and she has no case," Esme explained.

"I wasn't speeding! I wasn't even going the speed limit! They came around the curve and blinded me with their brights; then he lost control on the overpass, and crossed the line and hit us! The Mercedes skid, and we hit the guardrail, and…and…_oh_…we got to the end of the rail…we fell…then we rolled… Tanya! Where's Tanya! She slipped out of her seatbelt, she was yelling my name, and then she speaking in Russian," Edward moaned in agony at the memories as he recounted the experience for the first time. He paused, listening to the thoughts coming from his parents.

"Oh!" Edward sobbed, "She died?! SHE DIED!? Where's Mr. Duchovny? He must hate me now, WHY DIDN'T SOMEBODY TELL ME?!" Edward was completely distraught. He was hyperventilating and pressing his palms over his ears, trying to keep the apologetic thoughts of his parents out of his head. Carlisle administered a mild sedative to Edward's IV before he could damage his still healing surgical scar that ran the length of his abdomen.

"Edward, sleep now; we'll make sure that the police know your side. Ms. Laurent has a bit of a reputation for being a litigation addict. I'm sure everything will be just fine, the officer probably wasn't even thinking manslaughter in relation to you, just the situation," Carlisle assured him.

Edward could only nod and let his eyes drift closed, welcoming the blackness of sleep.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Miss Swan? How are you feeling this morning?" Dr Wilcox asked.

"Still really sore, but otherwise, I feel better now than I ever have," Bella said truthfully.

"That's great. Your stats are great, your color's great- I think if you feel up to it, we can send you home in a few days. I just want to be sure that you aren't going to reject the new heart."

"Really? I'm ready, I can't wait to leave! I'll sign the paperwork right now," Bella said. Dr. Wilcox laughed, "Let's leave the paperwork to your mother, alright? You need to rest now, and let your body heal. You'll need to remember to take your meds, and take care of yourself and that heart; it was a priceless gift."

"Thank you, I will," Bella said, more subdued now. It was a priceless gift, one she could never repay. Someone had died, and she had profited from it. She couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty for her happiness. She managed a weak grin when Dr. Wilcox smiled at her and patted her feet as he moved past the foot of the bed and out of the room.

"Bella, sweetie, you don't need to feel guilty. It's not like you killed someone on purpose. The person who died would have died whether you got their heart or not," soothed Renee.

"Thanks Mom," Bella said, choking up as she whispered the words. She wasn't used to this insightful Renee. Where was flighty, flaky Renee? She was much easier for Bella to handle. At least she could use her sarcasm then.

"Did that help? I read a Dr. Phil article on guilt while you were in surgery. Did I get a passing grade?" asked Renee.

'_There she is,'_ thought Bella. She was finally able to smile a genuine smile as she listened to Renee list all of the different aspects of the article and how Dr. Phil was so much better than the therapist that Renee had gone to during one of her 'healing' phases. That was just before her eastern medicine and tai chi phase.

"Oh, Bella! Phil's contract in Phoenix is coming to an end next year. We're not sure, where or even if Phil will get traded. They were talking about Colorado, and Florida. Florida! Wouldn't that be wonderful? Sun, sand and ocean! You'd love it there! I'm not so sure about Colorado though, all that snow! I'm not sure I could handle that weather, I don't want to be reminded of Forks!"

Bella just let Renee continue to talk while she drifted off to sleep, daring to dream the previously impractical dreams that she wouldn't allow herself to dwell on before her new heart.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Edward," said Esme. He merely grunted and shifted slightly in response, curling into tighter ball. He had his back to his mother, lying on his side and staring out the lone window in his room. There was a light dusting of snow still visible on the tree tops just outside.

"Edward, you need to eat something, your father wants to see you up and walking this afternoon, so you can go home tomorrow," he gave no response. "Tanya would not want you to do this to yourself. You were granted the gift of life, and now you have an extraordinary gift as well. Think of what any other teen-aged boy would give to know what the girls are thinking…"Esme trailed off, her attempt at humor had gotten no response.

"Come on, you are doing yourself a disservice by just laying there; you'll turn into stone if you're not careful," Esme said, attempting humor again.

"She told me she loved me…that night…" Edward whispered, not moving at all. He didn't say her name, but Esme knew that Edward was talking about Tanya. He didn't want to say anymore, but he couldn't stop himself. "She said she wanted to try getting together, and I told her I would think about it…" his voice was nearly inaudible, and tears were steadily streaming onto his pillow.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry," Esme said, moving to sit next to Edward on his bed and rubbing his shoulder. He shifted slightly to lean his back into his mother, accepting what comfort she could give, while still crying silent tears.

A/N: Anyone still reading? I love reviews…please let me know what you think! Otherwise, how will I know this is worth my time and effort of writing and posting? :)


	4. Healing

**Heart and Soul Chapter 4**

**16 Months Later**

"Mom, I _want_ to go. I've never really been able to get to know Charlie. I've always been too sick, and this is my last chance before I go to college. I know you miss traveling with Phil for his away games. You could even take a real honeymoon." In reality, Bella didn't want her mother to have to worry over her anymore. The last five years had nearly turned Renee's hair gray.

Only Bella was aware of that fact though, as Renee had begun to religiously color her hair in an effort to stay young for Phil. Bella thought that it was a ridiculous reason to color hair, especially as Phil had told Bella that he liked her mother's older appearance. Renee could not be swayed however.

"Bella, I just want to make sure you're happy. And I'm going to miss you like crazy," said Renee ruefully.

"I'll be fine mom…actually, there's something you can do for me," Bella said. Hesitating, she reached into her carry on and pulled out a small blue envelope that was addressed to the organ donor liaison. Bella turned it over in her hands a few times before turning the envelope over to Renee.

"Oh, honey, I thought you mailed that weeks ago…" Renee said when she saw the address on the front of the rumpled envelope.

"I know I said I was going to, but I just couldn't do it…I know it's been a while now, but what if I just reopen their barely healing wounds giving them a thank you that they don't want?" Bella asked.

"I think they would be glad to hear from you, besides, it's anonymous, they will probably just be happy to know they gave someone else a chance at life. The liaison office will forward it, and they will never know who you are," Renee said.

_Flight 237 to Seattle is now boarding…please form a line at the gate, and we will allow you to board._

"That's my flight, mom. I've got to go, I'll call you as soon as I'm in Forks," Bella reassured her mother.

"Ok, sweetie, one last hug! Have a good flight; don't forget to take your meds!" Renee said.

"Mom, I'm the one that reminds _you_ about my meds…I think I'll be fine."

"I can't help it. Say hello to Charlie for me," Renee said before giving Bella one last squeeze and allowing her to go get in line for her flight to Seattle. Bella looked back from her place in the crowd, boarding pass already in her hand, and waved at Renee with a smile. She didn't want her mother to see her cry. Bella wanted Renee to really believe that she was happy to move to Forks, to live with her father. For the most part, she was.

Bella was eager to start fresh and get away from all the people at school that handled her with kid gloves. She was no longer the fragile girl that everyone seemed unable to forget. She could be strong in Forks, no one in that tiny town was aware of her previous heart problems since Charlie was never one to air family problems, and she hadn't been well enough to visit her father there since she was five. Charlie had come to visit her instead. Bella would miss Renee terribly, as she was her best friend. She wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to wearing Capri pants and sandals in December either. Forks was cold, rainy, and according to Renee, downright dreary.

"Do you have your boarding pass, Miss?" asked the flight attendant at the gate, pulling Bella from her musings.

"Oh, um…here…" Bella handed her the boarding pass and smiled at the woman before stepping into the tunnel attached to the plane and moving on to the next stage in her life. Her life was never exciting, sometimes stressful and sad, but always very average. Bella wasn't expecting anything else from living in Forks. Most likely, it would be a small blip on the radar of her life, almost unmentionable, before she really started life in college.

_What could happen in Forks? _thought Bella.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH**

"Bella? Bells!"

Bella turned around and saw Charlie hurrying over to her before she could lift her luggage off the conveyor belt in the tiny baggage claim area inside the Port Angeles airport.

"Let me do that! Should you be liftin' stuff like that? How did you get through Sea-Tac Airport? You didn't carry that by yourself did you?"

It was honestly the longest verbal address that Bella had ever heard Charlie utter outside a sports conversation. An order and three questions, all in the same breath. _He must really be nervous,_ thought Bella. She smiled, hoping to put Charlie at ease.

"Ch- Dad, I'm fine, honest. Dr. Wilcox said I would be fine for anything now, even PE," Bella finished with a grimace. PE may be safe for her to participate in now, but that didn't mean it was safe for everyone else attending the class. Grace and athletic ability did not belong in the same sentence as Bella Swan.

"I've got the cruiser out front…I got you a truck, though. Runs real good. It's perfect for you…" Charlie trailed off suddenly less comfortable than before.

"A truck? Why is it perfect for me? I don't have money for a lot of repairs, Dad," Bella said, though she instantly thought, _He probably likes that there's no back seat…as if a guy would be interested in me…they never were before…_

Charlie loaded her bags into the back of the police cruiser and opened the door for Bella before he went to his own side and sat down behind the wheel. Without a word, he started the car and was soon on the road to Forks. Bella was quiet for most of the hour drive; both she and Charlie were people of very few words.

They were very nearly to Forks when Bella saw it. It was a simple marker on the side of the road, just on the other side of a concrete overpass. The marker's white color contrasted sharply with the green surrounding it. There were silk flowers and some unlit candles around it, but they looked a little weather beaten, as though someone had held a vigil there a few months previous. Inexplicably, Bella was choked up, and on the verge of tears. Her heart felt like it was racing faster than ever before, and then it was gone as quickly as they passed the small monument.

Charlie noticed where her attention was drawn and said, "Yeah. Gotta be careful on the road here, this overpass can get real icy. Couple people died 'bout a year ago. I don't want you driving this road if it's freezing over outside; you let me get some chains on the truck tires before you go to school if it snows."

Bella looked at Charlie, shocked again by the length of his speech. Charlie had to be really serious if he was willing to put more than three words together about something. The rest of their drive was quiet. Charlie pulled up in front of his little two-story house next to the rusty Chevy that took up a good portion of the front drive.

"Is that my truck?" Bella asked, surprised at the character that the rusty old Chevy exuded. "I love it, it's a lot better than I imagined," she admitted sheepishly. Charlie merely nodded with a grunt and helped Bella get her bags inside.

"I think I'll just get upstairs and go to bed, Dad. It's been a long day, and I think I should get some sleep before tomorrow.

"Ok, night Bells," Charlie said as he turned on his TV and sat down in his recliner.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Edward sat at his piano, running his hands over the keys before he began playing softly. He didn't play very often anymore. Esme tried to encourage him every week, but when he did play, the only notes that flowed from his hands were dark and troubled. He would eventually hear his mother or Alice crying, whether for him or because of the music he never bothered to ask. He would just close the piano and retreat to his room and his stereo until the next time Esme asked him to play something.

Edward had not gone back to school with his siblings after the accident; he couldn't handle the mental noise that he heard all the time now until just a few months ago. He convinced Esme to home-school him for the entirety of his sophomore year to allow him to adjust to his new found gift. However, both Carlisle and Esme had insisted that he enroll at Forks High School for his junior and senior years. Esme had helped Edward advance through the course work rapidly, putting him well ahead of the curriculum at Forks High School, but Carlisle and Esme had asked Edward to enroll with those his age, rather than allow him to enroll in college and use it to further distance himself from those around him. Edward was making an effort for his parent's sake. He never caused any trouble; regardless of how bored he was. Edward just didn't have it in him to be destructive to others. He was best at being internally destructive.

Edward's development of what Emmett had called 'freaking ESP' was still unexplained. Edward had begged Carlisle to keep it a secret, and his father had complied. Both Carlisle and Esme were worried that their son would become the equivalent of a lab rat if ever his gift became common knowledge. Carlisle theorized that Edward's out-of-body experience while in the operating room must have triggered something that was previously repressed. He had always been able to guess what those around him were thinking; now he didn't have to guess at all. Emmett had called it the x-men factor, and had even started calling him 'Professor Edward' and offering to get him a wheelchair. It was Edward's one-way telepathy that made his rapid progress through school possible, since Esme didn't have to struggle to explain anything. Edward just understood what she meant immediately. It didn't come without a price though. Edward thought he would go completely insane until Carlisle had taught him a few meditation techniques designed to focus the mind. Once he had practiced enough, he found that he could push the bulk of what he heard into the background.

However dark his thoughts had been previously, this morning when he sat at the piano, his mind was on Tanya's life, rather than her death and what might have been. He felt closer to her today than he had since she had died. For the past year he had felt like she was thousands of miles away, but now he felt like she was right there with him again. Edward was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize that Esme had come into the room.

_It's so nice to hear you play something light and happy,_ she thought. _What's on your mind, Edward, my son?_ Edward nearly smiled, but only the corner of his mouth turned up. Esme only called him 'Edward, my son' when she was trying to soften him up.

"I was thinking of Tanya," he replied. "I'm not sure why, but I have felt very close to her today, and the feeling just keeps getting stronger."

"It's been a long time since you played that song," Esme said, using her voice for the first time. Edward had to consciously think about what it was he was actually playing. He realized that he had been playing Clair De Lune without breaking down. Edward did allow a brief smile.

"I hadn't even realized," Edward said. Abruptly he switched songs, his fingers finding the right keys to Esme's Favorite, though he hadn't played the song he composed for his mother in more than a year.

_Thank you, Edward. I think you're finally healing, _Esme thought. Edward's fingers stumbled momentarily as he heard what she had thought.

"Healing doesn't mean forgetting, Edward," Esme murmured softly before she patted his shoulder and left him to his thoughts at the piano.

A/N: Well, Bella is in Forks, now. From here on out, the story will follow basic Twilight events. But, I think you'll find that there is usually something that I've tweaked in every situation. I've used no dialogue from Stephenie Meyer, only the situations. You may find the occasional nod to the movie or other popular media:) Please tell me what you think!


	5. Cafeteria Sightings

**Heart and Soul Chapter 5**

**A/N: As much as I enjoy writing Edward, he's not mine…dang it…**

All night long, Bella heard the incessant rain hitting the roof just over her head. She had nothing against a little rain, but, when it came down for twelve consecutive hours, the wet gray dreariness got a little old. It was never very surprising to Bella that her happy-go-lucky, live-by-the-moment mother couldn't handle living in Forks. Bella was determined, though, that she would let Renee have some peace with Phil after all the years of worrying about her.

Bella was startled by her alarm clock going off; she wasn't used to waking up before the alarm. With a muffled groan, Bella rolled off the bed and started for the bathroom that she shared with Charlie. After she was showered and more alert, she went down the stairs in search of her father and something to eat.

Charlie said very little at breakfast, but as he ambled out to his cruiser, he grunted, "Good luck, Bells." Bella smiled her thanks, gathered up her things and donned her new massive jacket that would have caused heatstroke in the dead of winter in Phoenix. As she locked the door behind her, she wondered if it was really necessary to do so. Charlie would be overbearing if he came home to an unlocked door though.

Bella climbed into the rusted hulk of a truck and checked the time. She would be early if she drove too fast; not an attractive option for a first day at a new school. She took her time meandering through Charlie's neighborhood; three houses down from Charlie's, she waved at Mrs. Morris, who was bent over to pick up the paper in a bathrobe and parka. Bella also took it easy on the gas pedal since she was, as of yet, unfamiliar with the truck, and she didn't want to tax the deafening engine of her newly acquired transportation.

Forks High School was easy enough to find, Bella could have found it even without the vague gestures and detail-lacking descriptions of Charlie's grand tour of Forks as they drove in yesterday. The never ceasing rain was more of a mist than actual drops as she pulled into the high school. Bella found a parking spot and turned off her truck, though she didn't get out right away. Instead, she sat there with her hands still resting on the wheel as she took in the brick buildings in front of her. Bella let out a deep sigh and gathered her bags and headed into the office.

"Can I help you?" said the middle-aged woman at the desk in the front of the office. Out of habit, Bella reached down to her chest to make sure that her scar wasn't showing. Then she remembered the bulky sweater and the hoodie that she was wearing.

_There's a silver lining,_ thought Bella. No one would notice her scar and handle her with kid gloves if it was constantly covered by the many layers required for winter survival here.

"Um, I'm Bella Swan; this is my first day…" Bella bit her lip as she trailed off, waiting for what she said to register with the woman standing in front of her.

"Bella? Bella Swan? By chance do you mean _Isa_bella Swan?" the woman looked like she had just had a major epiphany. _Obviously…who else? How many Swans could there be running around this town?_ Bella thought; then she sighed, knowing she was in for a day of correcting everyone she met.

"Yes, I go by Bella actually," she said, remembering to use the manners that Renee had taught her.

"Of course dear, here's your schedule, and our school handbook. This is a form that all of your teachers need to sign; you'll need to bring this back at the end of today," said the receptionist. Bella smiled and nodded, taking the packet from the woman and walking out of the office in search of her first class. She wrinkled her nose when she saw her schedule and remembered that Forks High School required PE for every grade. _The silver lining just got a little tarnished, _thought Bella.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Edward sat at the lunch table his family usually occupied, waiting for the crowd to come streaming in. He picked at the food sitting in front of him, not really hungry for the unappetizing cafeteria fare. Lunch was never an easy time for Edward, since there was such a large concentration of unfocused minds. The mental chatter in the cafeteria grew as the student body eased their hunger and let out their pent up energy. It was easier for Edward to get his food down before his head started buzzing with the trivial details of his classmates' lives. Who was dating whom and what those couples were doing was not his idea of a break.

Edward frowned at the thought of dating. He had been dismayed to discover upon his return to public schooling that he had become, to many of the girls, a 'hot commodity.' He was now the unwilling recipient of the affections of most of the girls at Forks High School. Some girls merely pined from afar, others such as Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory had been uncomfortably forward. Edward had wasted no time informing them that he was not interested, but his disinterest did nothing to curb their frequent fantasies. Edward found it rather disturbing; Emmett thought it was hilarious. It was usually here, in the cafeteria, that he found it the hardest to block out the worst of his admirers fantasies.

"Are you going to just sit there and scare everybody with your evil glares, or are you actually going to be friendly today?"

"Ah, Rose, I love watching Edward scare off his fan girls. Don't take away the only entertainment we have before it even starts!" Emmett was grinning as he said it, egging both Rosalie and Edward into glaring at him.

"I don't glare," said Edward pointedly.

"Dude, you could melt glass back to sand with some of the looks you've fixed poor little Jessica Stanley with. I'm surprised she didn't run home crying when you said you wouldn't go to homecoming with her," said Emmett, laughing. Edward glared at him again for bringing up that painfully awkward memory.

"Hey, guys! Have any of you seen the new student?" Alice asked as she skipped over to the table with Jasper in tow. "I have a really good feeling about her. She's going to bring change to our family!" Alice said, while practically jumping up and down. _Meaning you Edward, _she thought to her brother.

Edward scoffed, "Every last guy at Forks High School thinks that they're in love with this girl; she's no different than any other, merely a shiny toy to the infantile masses."

"We'll see," said Alice in a sing song voice. Edward glared at her.

"Whoa, calm down, Edward; you could cut the tension you're exuding with a rusty spoon," said Jasper.

"Edward exudes plenty that you could cut with a rusty spoon. It must be all the angsty vibes that he sends out that have all the girls wanting to heal his tender heart," Emmett teased. Edward growled in frustration, causing Emmett to laugh harder than before.

_That's Edward Cullen…_

Hearing his name spoken in someone's thoughts always brought all his attention to that one mind; he had the tendency to zone out while he focused in on the person thinking his name. His brothers and sisters had seen him do this often enough that they didn't question what was happening. They simply waited for him to fill them in.

"What now? Which student has declared their undying love for you this time? Ooh, maybe it's that pimply sophomore over there; I think she just dribbled her milk down her front trying to lean farther forward to see Fabio here," snickered Emmett. Rose just smacked the back of his head, eliciting a, "What?!" from Emmett. Alice and Jasper hid their smiles behind their hands, so as to avoid Rosalie's wrath.

Edward had heard this particular girl whisper his name longingly so many times before that he had already begun to tune her out when he realized to whom the she was speaking. Jessica Stanley was dutifully passing all the best gossip on to Forks High School's newest student, and creating a new rumor of her own by supposing that Carlisle had required each of his children to undergo plastic surgery in order to be adopted by himself and Esme. Edward scoffed at the drivel that spewed from Jessica's head. He focused instead on Angela Weber's thoughts, trying to get a brighter outlook on the situation, but all he heard was, _Trig, Spanish, and English…I hope the twins aren't sick again…I have so much to catch up on. _ Edward gave up listening to Angela; she just wasn't one to gossip.

Edward begrudgingly switched back to Jessica and listened to her spill the dirt on the 'scandalous' Cullen family, a mirthless smile across his lips. Jessica was still bitter over his refusal of her attentions, yet she was still eager to gain his admiration. Edward grimaced, and then he tried to focus on the girl that Jessica was shamelessly gossiping to.

There was nothing.

Empty, echoing silence reverberated back to him. Edward turned his head slightly to glance over at the table in question, taking in the petite brown-haired girl sitting there between Jessica Stanley and Angela Weber. Jessica's thoughts had confirmed that the girl was indeed the anxiously awaited Isabella Swan, though she preferred Bella. Still, Edward could hear nothing from her. She may as well have not been sitting there. Edward frowned; no one had been so blank to him since the accident. Was his gift fading? He furrowed his brow, concentrating harder, which only succeeded in giving him a headache. He growled under his breath in frustration, and turned more fully in his chair, staring unabashedly at Bella in concentration.

Focused as he was, he was startled to see her deep brown eyes staring right back at him. Yet, he couldn't look away. Jessica giggled when Bella realized she'd been caught staring and blushed before looking down at her hands. Jessica wasn't laughing on the inside though; she was jealous of the apparent interest Edward had shown Bella.

"Edward?" asked Jasper. Edward blinked several times as he turned back around and focused on his family sitting before him. They all wore anxious expressions, save for Rosalie. She seemed annoyed that they were once again focused on Edward.

"Edward, what is it?" asked Emmett. He was being uncharacteristically serious as he took in Edward's gobsmacked expression and his protective side came to the surface. Then he glanced over to the table where Edward had been staring; he grinned and said, "Crushing on the new girl?" Alice suddenly looked smug. She knowingly nodded her head and smirked as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest.

"I did have a feeling, Edward," Alice said with a smile as she nodded her head slightly towards the table that Bella was sitting at.

"I am not _crushing_…I've got to get to class," Edward said defensively. He pushed his chair back from the table and left for class ten minutes early. The cafeteria had never seemed as large as it did then as he tried to quickly escape unnoticed. He wasn't so fortunate.

"Hi, Edward, having a good day?" a coy Lauren Mallory accosted him when he was nearly to the exit. She was thinking, _I could help you have a good day. _Lauren stepped in front of him in an attempt to get Edward to stop and talk to her. In his distracted haste, Edward nearly ran into her; her thoughts were disappointed that she wasn't able to press herself against him while she "regained her balance." For the first time in his life, he felt like disrespecting a female. Holding his tongue, Edward merely grasped her shoulders, holding her at arm's length before murmuring, "Not now, Lauren." Then he neatly shifted her to the side and quickly walked past her without a second glance.

_I can't possibly be losing my ability…everyone else is just as loud as they were before, _he thought, grimacing at Lauren's blatant advances and her lascivious thoughts_. _Edward was half way to the biology lab before he realized that he had thought specifically of the accident while trying to hear Bella Swan's thoughts and he hadn't even blinked an eye.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella had had a fairly easy morning. Her classes were routine, easy even, and she had met several people that truly had no idea that she'd had a heart transplant the previous year. Regardless, Mike Newton had taken to following her wherever he could, since they had a handful of classes together. Bella constantly fought the urge to pat his head and offer him a scrap of food. Jessica Stanley had to remind Bella of her name a couple of times before she remembered it, though she seemed friendly enough about it. Angela had been very sweet. She seemed just as reserved as Bella was herself.

"Here's the cafeteria," Jessica said. Bella was embarrassed to realize that Jessica had been talking to her the entire time they had been walking, and she hadn't truly heard any of it. She blushed and smiled sheepishly at Jessica as she walked through the door that Mike Newton was holding open with a grin.

"Thanks," Bella said. She didn't want to encourage him any further.

"You're sitting with us right?" Jessica asked.

"Uh…sure," Bella said. She had no other plans, so she might as well. Bella followed Jessica and Angela through the line and got a tray of food. Nothing and nobody seemed very remarkable in Forks. Bella was starting to wonder how thoroughly she was going to be able to blend in with so few people in the tiny, soggy town.

As she sat down at a nondescript table with Jessica, Angela, and a few of the others who had introduced themselves within the course of the morning, Bella saw them. Easily the five most beautiful people she had ever seen outside of the glossy magazines that littered her doctor's office waiting room back in Phoenix. She suddenly felt as though she blended in just fine; anyone would look ordinary compared to the group huddled around the most isolated table. Sitting there, laughing and talking, their table the subject of frequent longing glances, it looked as though they were the envy of the entire student body. Perhaps even a few of the faculty as well.

"Who is that?" Bella asked Jessica without taking her eyes off of the youngest-looking boy at the table. He had messy bronze hair, very fair skin, and though he was sitting down, Bella could tell that he was tall. He had a lean, lanky but still muscular frame, though he was still not as large as the massive curly-haired boy sitting at his table. The others were also very attractive, but the bronze-haired boy was the most attractive of the entire group at the table. A tiny pixie-like girl with short black hair was holding hands with a tall blond guy, and a tall blonde girl was leaning into the bear-sized boy. The blonds could easily be twins.

Jessica followed Bella's gaze over to the table occupied by the Cullens and the Hales, then she smirked when she followed Bella's gaze to who at that table had drawn Bella's attention.

"That's Edward Cullen. That's his adoptive family…all of them were adopted by Doctor Cullen and his wife; _apparently they couldn't have any by themselves_," Jessica said the last in a conspiratorial whisper, as though everybody in the town wasn't already familiar with the Cullen's situation, and adoption was taboo.

"They're really nice, but very private," added Angela. "They tend to keep to themselves. Edward was homeschooled last year, after he had a bad car accident, so he's kind of a loner…"she stopped when Jessica cut her off.

"But the others are _together,"_ Jessica whispered again. "I know they're not all really related, but is that legal?"

'Well, it's not illegal," Angela said. "Only Edward, Emmett and Alice are actually adopted by the Cullens. The Hale twins are Mrs. Cullen's niece and nephew, and they only joined their family in junior high, so it's not like they were all little kids together…" Angela trailed off at the astounded look on Jessica's face.

"He's staring at you," Jessica said incredulously. Bella blushed. She could hear the envy in Jessica's tone, and wondered when Jessica had tried to woo Edward unsuccessfully.

"He doesn't look like he's admiring; looks more confused or frustrated to me," Bella said, her cheeks still a rosy pink. She looked down at her hands resting on the table, breaking her eyes away from Edward's. Jessica relaxed slightly. Bella was at a loss as to what she could have done to frustrate the amazingly attractive boy without ever speaking to him. But, she was surprised to find out, she really wanted to help him, whereas her typical reaction would be to tell him to "get over it." Bella realized that Jessica was speaking again. What had she been saying?

"…anyways, don't even bother with Edward. He's been Mr. Moody ever since his little Russian friend died in the car accident he had last year. No girl in Forks is good enough for _him_," Jessica said confidently. Angela hid her slight smile behind her hand, and shared a look with Bella, who gave her a smile in return. _Jessica definitely crashed and burned, _thought Bella. She couldn't understand why that had relieved her. She certainly had no claim over him; she had no say in whom he dated. What was she thinking? She hadn't even met him! Despite Jessica's admonitions, Bella couldn't help but be drawn in by Edward's troubled expressions. There had been an unguarded moment when he first turned around to look at her; it was as though his eyes hadn't focused on her until a second later. There was a hint of pain in his eyes. It seemed fairly obvious to Bella that he was hurting; she felt compelled to find out why so that she could help him.

"Don't worry, I hadn't planned on it," Bella said to appease Jessica. It wasn't in her nature to throw herself at guys; but she couldn't deny that something about Edward Cullen definitely made her want to understand why he was hurting; she wanted, _needed_ to ease his pain. Was 'his little Russian friend' behind the wheel, or was he driving at the time of the accident? Bella assumed that it must have been him driving; the look that he wore was surely tainted by self-reproach. She had seen the same look often enough in the mirror after her transplant. It wasn't the same kind of culpable look you saw on random mug shots plastered in the newspaper. No, this was the guilt of a survivor.

Bella looked up from her inspection of the tabletop when she heard a chair scrape loudly and abruptly across the floor. Edward Cullen was leaving the cafeteria in a hurry, casting one last look at her before rushing toward the double doors. He was intercepted halfway to the door by a flirtatious blond twirling her platinum locks around her finger before demurely glancing up at him through her lashes. Bella smirked; the leggy blond was laying it on thick, and Edward was not looking pleased. Was his deceased friend a girlfriend perhaps? Had he been in love with her? For some reason, that just didn't seem _right._

Bella stifled a laugh when she saw Edward grasp the girl's arms at the shoulders and move her bodily to the side before blowing past her without another glance. She felt inexplicably proud of Edward Cullen in that moment. _Another burning wreckage,_ thought Bella wryly as she watched the blonde raise her nose to the air and stomp out the doors opposite the ones Edward had taken. Bella couldn't explain why her heart was suddenly beating as quickly as it was when she watched Edward's quick, graceful lope out of the cafeteria, but whatever the reason, it didn't hurt.

A/N: I love getting feedback so I can make the story better. Bella's introspection in the cafeteria wouldn't be nearly as complete otherwise. Thanks to Justine Lark for providing said feedback!

Please Review!


	6. Biology Blunders

**Heart and Soul Chapter 6**

**Biology Blunders**

Edward sat in his seat in Mr. Banner's biology class with his eyes closed. He had unconsciously folded his arms across his chest, though he lifted his right hand and massaged the bridge of his nose between his thumb and fingers. It was a posture that he had developed while learning to deal with his gift; one that Emmett had dubbed 'The Thinker.' The fight that had ensued when Emmett asked if Edward needed to take off his clothes in order to think better had resulted in a month-long grounding for the both of them, without any allowance, in order to cover the costs of the family's third coffee table that year.

'_Wonder what's eating him now…he had better not start slacking off,' _Mr. Banner was thinking absentmindedly. It both relived and annoyed Edward to hear what his teacher was thinking. He was relieved because it was more proof that Edward wasn't losing his mind-reading ability. Though he had originally thought it to be a curse, Edward had learned to adapt to and depend on his new skill. He was annoyed however, because Mr. Banner seemed to think that it was only a matter of time before Edward became a problem child.

Edward dropped his hand and raised his head while narrowing his eyes at the back of his teacher's head. He watched in frustrated silence as the odious man wrote the lecture notes for the following day's lab on the whiteboard. It wouldn't do to reassure his teacher that he wouldn't become a problem. Carlisle's sworn silence would be useless if Edward himself revealed his secret in a moment of careless frustration. So, in order to prove Mr. Banner wrong without becoming a lab rat, Edward pulled out his books and prepared for class while more students were starting to wander in from lunch. Almost everyone was seated, waiting for the bell to ring when _she_ walked in. Edward tried to read something, _anything_, from this mysteriously silent girl. His brow became creased, and he pressed his lips into a thin line as he closed his eyes and strained to hear her. He opened his eyes and huffed in frustration at her back. Edward was still no more successful at hearing her thoughts at this close proximity than he was across the cafeteria.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella hadn't noticed any of the students eying her speculatively, as she had her back to the room while she waited for the absentminded teacher to notice her. He finally turned and noticed her patiently waiting. Mr. Banner took one look at the form she slid across the desk, and pushed the slip back at her with barely a scribble. He directed her with a wave to the only empty seat, right next to Edward.

"There's just the one seat, next to Mr. Cullen. Please do your _own_ notes," the teacher said, shuffling papers around and preparing to start class.

"Thanks…" Bella said. She was confused at why Mr. Banner, according to his name plaque perched on his desk, would tell her to take her own notes. _Isn't that standard procedure in school?_ she thought. Then, she turned on her heel and nearly tripped over her own feet as she moved towards the empty seat. Stumbling once more over a bag laying halfway in the aisle, Bella finally reached her chair and sat down gratefully before she could trip over anything else. She bent over her bag, pulled out a fresh notebook and pencil, and turned to face her new lab partner in order to introduce herself.

Bella was not prepared however, to turn around and come face to face with Edward, who looked as frustrated as one could while sitting in biology. His brow was creased, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed into a straight line.

Bella raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you ok? You look just like Johnny Carson would when he'd wear that turban and hold an envelope to his forehead…you know? I used to love it when my mom would let me stay up late and watch those when I was little…" Her eyes widened at the shocked look on Edward's face, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Bella could not believe she had said what she had to Edward's face. She was never this talkative…never before had she compared anyone to a decades old comedy routine while sharing embarrassing childhood stories within five minutes of meeting them. For some inexplicable reason, Bella wanted to share everything with Edward; though she was now mortified at what that she had said. There was an inexplicable connection to him that she felt in her soul. Her embarrassment was evident on her red face, but even in her discomfort, she felt like she could share the world with Edward.

He, however, was still reeling from Bella's highly perceptive observation, however unknowing it may have been. Hadn't Emmett made reference to the very same Johnny Carson skit once it was obvious to the family that Edward was hearing things that he shouldn't? What were the odds of another person using the very same out-dated comedy routine?

No one else had ever drawn that conclusion before; no one else had ever brought out these reactions in him. Edward had learned to school his responses, whether spoken or just a facial expression, in the year that he had spent at home with Esme. He had known that if this gift were going to be a secret, he had better not expose it himself by answering unspoken questions. Bella had apparently seen right through him. She had certainly come close to the mark with her comment, though it seemed to embarrass her.

"I'm sorry…I'm usually not so frighteningly blunt," Bella explained, pink faced. Edward merely cleared his throat before barely uttering, "No problem."

Bella's face was crimson now. Edward watched her as she smiled sheepishly and turned back to her notebook, pulling her hair over her shoulder so as to block Edward's penetrating gaze.

Edward was caught by surprise again; as his new lab partner gathered her hair and shielded her red cheeks with it, Edward caught a familiar scent. _Bella must use the same shampoo as Tanya did…I didn't think I would ever enjoy smelling that strawberry scent again…wait…enjoy it? Esme must be right…I've thought about the accident or Tanya at least three times today, and I haven't broken down at all, _he thought.

Edward fought the urge to lean in and take a deep breath of Bella's fragrant scent, or to reach out and touch the heavy mahogany curtain that she had spread between them. _It's different somehow though, not just strawberries…something floral…it smells just like the freesia that Esme plants in the spring…that must be why it didn't hurt to smell the shampoo. It's combined with the freesia scent, so it's almost something new, something purely Bella…_ Edward thought. Then, without any obvious cause, Bella snorted in quiet laughter and briefly clapped her hand over her mouth again. She lifted her head and stared straight into Edward's eyes. He let his eyes roam over the contours of her face, taking in her deep brown eyes, her full lips, her heart-shaped face and her magnificent mahogany hair.

_Wait…did I just describe her hair as magnificent? _Edward was nearly overcome once more by the desire to touch her hair, and bring it to his face, so that he could smell the delicious bouquet. Determined not to make a fool of himself, Edward gripped the edge of the desk until his knuckles were white with the strain, and he thought the wood under his hands would bear his hand prints. He knew instinctively that Bella would be beyond mortified if he gave into the strange urge to run his fingers through her hair, ten minutes after meeting her. He himself was mortified; he had never felt such strong feelings for a stranger before. It was as though his soul knew hers; she was familiar in a way that he couldn't describe. Not since Tanya had he felt so comfortable around someone; though even Tanya hadn't had the pull that Edward definitely felt from Bella. Edward rarely initiated physical contact, especially not with someone outside his family, but he couldn't deny that he had a strong desire to reach out and touch Bella Swan.

Mr. Banner droned endlessly for the next half-hour about the notes he had filled the board with. Bella was confused; not about the course work, she had studied this before in Phoenix, but she could not explain the incredible pull she felt towards Edward. Her heart felt like it had truly come alive at this moment as she sat next to this beautiful bronze-haired boy who, according to Jessica, was snobbish and proud.

Bella somehow _knew_ he was just very reserved; hurting from the terrible accident that Angela had told her about. She was reminded very forcefully of Mr. Darcy. _Indeed he has no improper pride. He is perfectly amiable. _Bella couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips when she thought of the context of that quote. She clapped her hand over her mouth once more, looking embarrassedly at Edward beside her.

_He has green eyes_, Bella realized. Beautiful, green eyes that resembled finely polished jade stones. Not the bright, nearly-neon emerald-colored stones that Renee so often admired on the QVC before Bella could hide the credit cards and change the channel. Edward's eyes were like the soft, olive-colored jade that looked as though marbled with smoke. Bella realized with chagrin that Edward was looking at her very curiously, questioningly. He had caught her unabashedly staring at him after snorting in sudden unexplained laughter.

_Probably worried I won't stop staring, or that I'm unbalanced, laughing the way I did,_ thought Bella. Inexplicably, Edward grasped the desk in a white-knuckled grip as his eyes followed the contours of her face and hair. Bella was once again speechless as she took in his observations, though her face broadcasted her embarrassment perfectly well.

"I'm sorry…I keep making a fool of myself…I was thinking of Mr. Darcy," Bella said, her cheeks permanently stained now.

Edward was still taking in her beauty when he realized that she was speaking.

"_I'm sorry…I keep making a fool of myself…I was thinking of Mr. Darcy._"

"What?" he asked confused.

"Mr. Darcy…_Pride and Prejudice_? It's one of my favorites…"she trailed off, and then she cleared her throat and smiled. "You remind me of him…" she finished softly.

"How? Am I a '_proud, unpleasant sort of man'_ or perhaps I have a '_forbidding, disagreeable countenance_?'" Edward said very seriously, though on the inside he was laughing. He was sure that Bella would not have expected him to quote the book to her.

"What?! No! That's not what I meant…" Bella felt that her face would never lose the color that currently imbued her skin. She bit her lip and tried to think of an explanation that didn't make her look pathetic.

_If only the ground could swallow me whole…how do I explain what I meant without sounding completely infatuated with him? _she thought.

"I…I…" she began.

"Mr. Cullen?" Edward realized that Mr. Banner was looking to catch them off guard, since they hadn't really been paying attention.

_Come on, I know you weren't paying attention…Krebs Cycle…_

"The Krebs Cycle," said Edward confidently.

_How did he do that! _thought Mr. Banner. Edward knew his teacher was exasperated by his apparent ability to _daydream and flirt with his pretty new lab partner_ and still manage to answer the question correctly.

_Was I flirting with her? _Edward asked himself. _I think I was… _This time, it was Edward's turn to laugh unexpectedly. He turned to Bella to share a smile with her, only to find that her mahogany hair was once again curtained between them.

"Class, you have twenty minutes left; use your time wisely and copy down the rest of these notes that I've put on the board. You will need to study them for our next lab," droned Mr. Banner.

Edward cringed at the realization that his sarcasm was taken at face value, thanks to Mr. Banner's timely interruption. Edward sighed as he added one more thing to his list of reasons to dislike his biology teacher before leaning over his paper and starting to write. He and Bella worked quietly side-by-side, copying down the notes that Mr. Banner had on the board.

"Ok, everyone…you're free to pack up, the bell is going to ring in one minute boys and girls," Mr. Banner said with enthusiasm.

As soon as the bell rang, Edward walked out of the biology classroom after Bella. He wanted to explain to her that he wasn't being serious before, but Mike Newton had already claimed her attention, asking if he could walk with her to the gym. As he dejectedly turned on his heel and headed quickly to his Spanish class, he didn't see Bella glance sadly over her shoulder in time to watch him round the corner.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Hey Bella, what did you do to Cullen huh? Did you ask him to the dance or something? He doesn't date you know…doesn't really talk much either. Loner, you know?" Mike said, desperate to convince her that Edward wasn't worth the trouble.

"What? No, I didn't…I think I insulted him though…I compared him to Mr. Darcy," Bella said, cringing as she remembered the serious look on Edward's face when he actually _quoted_ Pride and Prejudice to her, and _not_ in a romantic way.

"Mr. Who?" Mike asked, confused.

"Mr.- Never mind," Bella said, giving up trying to explain the situation and turning to walk towards the large building that could be nothing other than the gym.

"So…you have gym now? I have gym, too. Do you like gym?" Mike asked, trying to make small talk.

"Uh, I do, but I don't really care for it; too much of a klutz," Bella said honestly.

"Oh…here's the gym." Mike wasn't sure what else to say.

"I'll just go get dressed then," Bella said, turning and walking quickly to the girl's locker room before the situation with Mike could deteriorate into anything more awkward, or he used the word 'gym' again.

"Ok, Bella," Mike said enthusiastically; he was clueless.

Bella made it to the locker that was assigned to her and dumped her things into it before moving out to sit in the bleachers. The PE teacher didn't make Bella dress down, and Bella was grateful for any opportunity to avoid changing in front of others and risk someone catching a glimpse of her scar. Any aspirations she had of keeping her heart transplant a secret would certainly be crushed if Jessica noticed she had a ten-inch scar running down the middle of her chest.

Thankfully, Bella's secret was safe for at least one more day; she merely had to endure Mike Newton's attempts to impress her with his 'skills.' He truly reminded Bella of a dog; complete with tail-wagging and eager to please and be praised.

Once the bell rang to signal the end of the day, Bella rushed out of the gym before Mike could stop her. She hurried over to the office to turn in her signed slips; she pulled open the door just in time to avoid a collision with Edward Cullen. He fixed her again with a frustrated look and said, "Listen, about earlier…"

"Don't worry about it," Bella interrupted as a blush stained her cheeks once more. She looked down at her feet and pushed past him into the office as her heart pounded again. He smiled a half smile and left the office in a hurry. _Probably can't wait to get away from the crazy girl,_ she thought as she watched him sprint for the parking lot.

As Bella walked forward to give Ms. Cope her paper, she thought she heard the older woman muttering, "Too young, too young, too young," as she studiously looked over the papers that Edward had given her. Confused, frustrated, and thoroughly ready to go home, Bella didn't stop to question the woman's strange behavior. She followed Edward's example and made for her truck as quickly as her clumsy feet would allow.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Edward had run for his car as quickly as he could; it was obvious that Bella was still embarrassed over his gaffe earlier in biology. He knew that he needed to properly apologize to her, but he was too unnerved to wait in the office any longer after he had to deal with Ms. Cope's disturbing thoughts. Before he got to his car, he smashed down the button on the keyless remote when he heard his siblings impatient thoughts about being locked out. As such, they were all belted in their seats and waiting for him when he dove behind the wheel of his silver Volvo and started the engine.

"Ms. Cope getting a little too fresh again Eddie?" Emmett said with glee as he made a face at him in the mirror. Edward merely glared at him in said mirror and growled, along with everyone else in the car, "Don't call me Eddie." Emmett sniggered at Edward and continued his steady stream of odd expressions. Edward's hulk of a brother often insisted on sitting in the middle of the back seat for the sole purpose of blocking the mirror, making faces at Edward while he drove. He would usually accompany each look with _colorful_ thoughts that often had Edward blushing. His coupled siblings frequently accused him of being a prude straight out of the Victorian era.

"How was Biology today, Edward?" Alice asked innocently. _I know that you flirted with Bella, Edward…even if flirting for you involved quoting centenarian literature, _she continued in her head, which caused Edward to glare questioningly at her. _Angela is in my seventh hour class, and you know how persuasive I can be when I want to know something,_ she thought. Alice laughed her bell-like laugh and thought, _Better luck next time, brother._

"No more silent conversations, Bro," Emmett said from the back seat. "What kind of delicious mental tidbits did you get from 'Bella' when you 'flirted' with her _Edward_?"

Emmett's words may as well have been a wrench tossed carelessly in an engine, as effectively as they interrupted Edward's pleasant daydreams of having a real conversation with Bella that didn't include Mr. Banner. His brow furrowed as he reluctantly admitted, "I can't hear her thoughts."

Stunned silence prevailed the rest of the way home.

**A/N:** Bella's P&P quote is from Elizabeth's speech to her father in order to convince him that she was happy with Mr. Darcy's proposal. Edward's P&P quote came from Elizabeth's first (mistaken) impression of Mr. Darcy.

Let me know what you think; it makes my writing better!


	7. Fishing for Information

**Heart and Soul Chapter 7**

**Fishing for Information**

Bella wasn't surprised that Charlie's refrigerator held only a half- full curdled carton of milk, a greasy paper bag labeled 'fish fry', and an expired package of hot dogs. She shook her head at the lack of supplies in Charlie's kitchen. His cooking skills were probably worse than Renee's, and that was saying something. Bella's father seemed to live off of the fish he caught on his perpetual fishing trips.

_It's a wonder he doesn't sprout gills, _thought Bella ruefully. Further inspection of the pantry revealed it to be as bare as the fridge, save for a small tin labeled 'groceries.' Curious, Bella opened the tin to find it full of cash. Bella smirked at the cash in her hands, wondering how often 'groceries' translated into 'pizza.' Lack of culinary skills seemed to be the only thing her parents had in common, other than Bella herself. She sighed, grabbed her keys and the little tin, as she thought _Looks like I'm going to be the grocery shopper here too. _

Bella didn't mind shopping or cooking for Charlie; it did guarantee that she would get a meal worthy of consumption that didn't include fish. Renee was quite _experimental_ in her meals, which often led to rather _interesting_ though not always edible results. Renee did try though; enthusiastically. Bella felt a familiar shiver hit her in the stomach as he recalled Renee's more exotic concoctions. Peanut butter pickle-and-avocado casserole was not an experience worth having more than once. Having had one's stomach pumped twice in a lifetime wasn't a feat that Bella thought was very noteworthy, but it was one that her mother could boast. Luckily, Bella's frail health had kept many of her mother's experiments at bay.

Thinking of Renee reminded Bella that she hadn't spoken with her mother at all since she had gotten to Charlie's yesterday. Knowing Renee, she was probably ready to call the FBI and report her as missing. Bella looked at her watch and decided that perhaps the shopping could wait for a few more minutes. She dropped her keys back on the table by the coat rack where Charlie always hung his gun belt and took the stairs as fast as she could without stumbling.

Once she was in her room and waiting for the hulk of a computer to start up, Bella let her mind wander, taking in the room that was once her nursery. Bella was pulled from her observations by the sound of the over-taxed processor fading as the ancient computer finally displayed the desktop. She started the free internet service and waited for the obnoxious modem tones to stop wailing in her ears. While she sat, Bella started to recall her first day of school in Forks. She thought back over each of her classes and the work that was set, the books that she would re-read, and the people she had met. One person in particular stood out in her mind: Edward Cullen. Bella remembered how he had stared at her with his strangely frustrated expression. The memory of his wrinkled brow played over and over in her mind, and his remembered-face grew more exasperated with each passing moment.

His frustration had been evident in biology. Bella grimaced again as she thought of their strained conversation. Very few guys could say who Fitzwilliam Darcy actually was, let alone quote the actual text of the novel. The fact that Edward had used Elizabeth's first and least-favorable description of Mr. Darcy was not lost on Bella. _Was that how he saw himself? Or how he feels others perceive him?_ _What is it that he is having such a hard time with? _Bella thought.

The hurt that he was feeling was evident on his features as he sat in the cafeteria, seemingly unfazed by the tumult happening around him as he drifted, lost in his own thoughts. Angela had mentioned a terrible accident that he and a friend had been in, and Jessica had mentioned 'his little Russian friend' had died.

_Is that what is bothering him?_ Bella asked herself. Then, she remembered Charlie's admonition to her about driving in the snow.

_Couple people died 'bout a year ago, _her father had said. Was that the same accident that Edward had been in? Charlie _would_ know; perhaps if she made a good dinner, she could get some answers out him before he realized why she was asking.

_What would Charlie like for dinner? What does Charlie like besides fish!_ Bella thought. _That's easy enough; steak and potatoes. A little marinade for the steak and some big baked potatoes and Charlie will think he's gone to the Lodge._

Bella was pulled from her musings when she realized that her room was silent; the modem had stopped screeching some time ago. She moved over to her desk to check her mail. Renee had left her eight emails, ranging from cheerful messages of support, vague requests to let her know how things went, and urgent messages demanding to know if Bella had arrived, and if not, should she call the FAA or the FBI.

Bella sighed and sent a quick reply before Renee could start a national search involving two federal agencies; then she sent a longer reply detailing her first day of school. She had thought about telling Renee about Edward, but decided against it. She didn't need her mother calling Charlie and demanding to know every last detail, including possible criminal record, of someone she hadn't even spoken to properly. Bella looked at her watch and decided that she should get to the store before it became too late to get groceries before dinner.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

None of Edward's adoptive siblings said anything as they walked into the house after he parked his Volvo in the garage. He noticed Esme sat on her usual barstool at the counter in the kitchen, looking over a series of color samples and cloth swatches for an old turn-of-the-century house she was restoring.

"How was school?" she asked, eyeing each of her children as they wandered around the kitchen and murmured their greetings. Esme had always made it a point to ask everyone about their day, and today was no exception. Edward knew that she would want some sort of answer from each of them.

Emmett was already buried to the shoulder in the refrigerator, munching on a chicken leg left over from dinner the night before. Alice stood looking smug next to Jasper, though she occasionally looked over at Edward, and her smirk would widen anew. Edward leaned against the cabinets, opposite from his mother, trying to bide his time before he was required to answer. He could see his expression from five different perspectives as his siblings waited for him to tell Esme how his day had been. His eyes had the unfocused look of intense concentration that he knew he only wore when he was lost in thoughts; either his own, or everyone else's.

"School was fine Esme," Jasper said, taking the attention off of Edward, who subtly nodded his thanks. Jasper surreptitiously returned the gesture and leaned against the counter next to Esme and pulled Alice into his arms.

"It was flirtatious!" Alice said mischievously. She was mentally cataloguing all the clothes that Edward had in his closet. Jasper, Edward noticed, recognized the preoccupation on Alice's face. Edward knew that Jasper understood Alice almost as well as he himself did. Edward thought that was pretty impressive, considering the advantage he had with his skill. Edward gave Jasper a pleading look before pointedly moving his gaze to his fidgeting sister. Jasper smiled knowingly at Edward and thought, _You can't avoid dress-up-Edward forever but I'll give it a try._ Then Jasper squeezed his girlfriend tighter before she could skip out of the room and start raiding Edward's closet for 'operation-impress-Bella-clothes.' Alice narrowed her eyes at Edward; she knew what the two brothers had just communicated.

_Someone has to make sure you don't go to school in clothes three seasons old, Edward. That isn't retro, it's painful,_ she said to him. Rosalie's thoughts were completely oblivious to the interaction going on around her, as usual. She was taking in the sight of Emmett in the refrigerator with a half-amused, half-disgusted look on her face.

_What is he going to do? Climb in? He cannot kiss me with that chicken grease on his face; he'll ruin my complexion! _Edward rolled his eyes at his vain foster-sister. Emmett himself finally came out of the fridge with a few things tucked in one arm and his half-eaten chicken leg still in his other hand. He saw the look on Rosalie's face and said, "What? I'm a growing boy, I'm hungry! I could eat a bear!"

Edward smiled; Emmett always voiced his thoughts word for word, this was no exception.

Esme raised an eyebrow at her second adopted son and smirked before she said, "Sorry Emmett, bear is not in season." Edward could feel Esme's gaze settle on him just as easily as he could see it from her mind.

"Edward? Is there something bothering you?" she asked him.

"Uhhh…no?" Edward said, though it came out as a question. His brothers smirked; Emmett thought and whispered at the same time, "He's a goner!" before laughing bumping fists with Jasper.

"Sorry, Esme; I think I need some time to think…" Edward trailed off and headed to his piano and sat down, already caressing the keys and letting a new melody start to flow from his mind to his fingers. However, he couldn't help but _hear_ what was being said in the kitchen.

"_What was that about?"_ Esme asked the question aloud, though she pushed the thought towards Edward as well. She was physically focusing on the teens in front of her, but her understanding of and experience with Edward's gift made it feel as though she were questioning Edward face-to-face. He understood what she was doing and appreciated that his mother knew him well enough to allow him time to order his thoughts, but still let him know that she wanted to be informed. Edward focused on Esme's thoughts as she heard the answers the others gave her.

"_Edward met the new girl- Isabella Swan, at school,"_ said Jasper. Alice took over.

"_And he flirted with her! Of course, being Edward, he didn't know how to flirt properly, so he quoted centenarian literature at her, and she took it the wrong way, but Edward actually spoke with her and said something other than 'No thank you, I don't date; please stop throwing yourself at me' or whatever it was he told Jessica. Oh, Esme, you should see her! She and Edward would be so cute together! She's just perfect for him! And you know what the best part is?! She is like a mental Fort Knox! Our own Professor X can't pick her brain for the life of him! She's as silent as the grave to him! Isn't that great! She's really going to be good for him, I know it!"_ Alice said. Only her intense need for oxygen forced her to stop and breathe, though her thoughts were still racing. Edward could see Esme in his sibling's minds; she sat motionless for a few seconds as her brain finished processing what Alice had said.

"_I think you need to be mindful of your brother's feelings, Alice. We need to let __**Edward**__ decide if this girl is as perfect as you say_," said Esme. However, the smile on her face took much of the sting from her rebuke. Alice was nearly vibrating with excitement. Esme chuckled knowingly.

_Sorry, Edward, I don't think I can hold her back any longer, _Esme directed at Edward.

"Go ahead, but don't toss all of his clothes on the floor this time," Esme said aloud, raising her eyebrow at Alice. Edward's siblings drifted off to their own pursuits as Esme went back to her work. She attempted to keep her thoughts occupied with the samples and swatches in front of her, but Edward knew her mind kept drifting back to where he was sitting, playing the piano.

Esme sat at the counter for a few moments longer, listening to the tender, sweet, new melody that was tentatively flowing from Edward's piano. Now that Esme wasn't talking with the other teens, Edward struggled with the stereo affect of his playing echoing from Esme's mind along with her thoughts.

_It's so soft and soothing, like a gentle lullaby. This song is definitely new; I've never heard Edward play it, and he is definitely in compose-mode. This Isabella may be just what he needs; I think we definitely need find out more about this girl who has moved Edward to compose once more, _thought Esme as she tucked her samples and swatches away and moved towards him.

Edward's thoughts were chaotic as he sat waiting for Esme at his piano; he was at a loss as to why he couldn't hear Bella Swan's mind. She seemed different than the other girls at Forks High School. Girls like Jessica and Lauren, who couldn't stop throwing themselves at him, even though before Tanya had died, they treated him as though he were the gunk on the bottom of their shoes. They were fair-weather friends; Edward knew from both their thoughts that they weren't very nice people. They didn't even like each other that much; they just pretended to like one another so that they could be more popular.

Bella, on the other hand, seemed shy and reserved, as thought she just wanted to blend in. However, through his vicarious observations of her reactions to others, namely Jessica and Mike Newton, Edward knew that she was smart and that she had a sharp, sarcastic wit. She had impressed him with her knowledge of the classics, though Edward cringed when he remembered how that interaction had ended. Mr. Darcy was not the worst centenarian literary character to be compared to by far, though he had unintentionally made her think it had insulted him.

Edward looked up from the ivory keys under his hands when he heard Esme's mental voice enter the room. He gave her a nod, though he did not say anything. Esme was reciting the ridiculous color names from her color samples.

_Gentle breeze cerulean blue…cocoa mocha brown…ecru eggshell white…serene sage green…_

"Are you thinking about those for a reason, or are you trying to make Emmett laugh at me when I can't help but ask for 'gentle breeze cerulean blue' paint for my room?" Edward asked her with a small grin. Caught, Esme stopped thinking of colors, sat next to Edward on the piano bench and thought, _Was Alice telling the truth? Did you really connect with this girl?_

Edward let out a sigh and started back a few measures in the song he was now composing. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "There was definitely a pull of sorts, an attraction, if you will," he continued softly, almost reluctantly. "I'm afraid I offended her though…" Edward trailed off and focused more intently on the keys in front of him.

"Offended? Is that what Alice meant about centenarian literature?" Esme asked with a hint of a smile.

Edward groaned and halted his piano playing. "Alice…" Edward growled, embarrassed to have to explain his blunder to his adoptive mother.

"She said I reminded her of Mr. Darcy," began Edward.

"Well, that's not so bad; Mr. Darcy is one of the most romantic literary men around. It's better than being compared to Heathcliff or, or, I don't know…Dracula!" Esme said, still not sure what the problem was.

"I knew from the other student's thoughts that she could be sarcastic… I quoted some of the less favorable 'first impression' descriptions to tease her, but Mr. Banner interrupted us. I'm sure I was _quite_ successful at offending her," Edward said mournfully.

Esme pursed her lips and thought, _Was Alice right? You can't hear her?_

"I couldn't hear her at all, not even when I sat right next to her, and concentrated on just her. Everybody else is still as clear as day; I don't understand why she's different," Edward said.

"Well, maybe that is your answer… she _is_ different. You are both unique in different ways; maybe she is your match." Esme stood up, pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and gave his shoulders a squeeze before she left him to his thoughts.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on a salad when Charlie came home.

"What are you cooking? It smells just like the Lodge," Charlie said enthusiastically as he sat down at the already-set table. He settled in as though Bella had been there every day of the last seventeen years, and this wasn't something new at all. Bella and Charlie were of a similar mindset; neither required the near constant conversation that Renee preferred, they were content to simply exist in the same space. Charlie didn't push Bella for details on her first day at school in Forks, which unfortunately didn't help her root for information on Edward Cullen. Chagrin flooded through her as she realized that she was no better than Jessica Stanley; she just couldn't deny that she wanted to and _could_ help erase Edward's pain. He had seemed so troubled in the cafeteria; the frustrated looks he kept giving her in Biology only steeled her resolve to find out what she could do to help him.

"I met a lot of nice people today…" she started tentatively as she brought the food to the table. Charlie looked up in surprise and grunted in acknowledgement as he filled his plate.

"Who'd you meet?" he asked; his voice sounded unsure, as though he wasn't sure quite how to respond.

"Uh…" Bella thought back to all the names that she remembered. "Angela Weber was nice; Jessica Stanley is in a couple of my classes, so is Mike Newton…" Bella trailed off.

"Oh yeah, the Newtons own the outdoor store. Nice kid."

"I also met Edward Cullen; he's my lab partner in Biology," Bella added.

"Yeah, he's the youngest of the kids Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted. Loner; he keeps out of trouble now, but a few years ago he gave his parents a spot of trouble. Crazy rebellious teenagers," Charlie muttered.

"He seemed sad. I thought he could use a friend," she continued.

"What exactly are you asking, Bells?" he asked pointedly. "I've been a cop for longer than you've been alive; I know when someone is fishing for information," he continued. Bella knew she had been caught; she bit her lip while she pondered what she should ask first.

"What happened to him?" she asked finally. Charlie looked at her appraisingly.

"You remember that marker out on the highway?" Charlie asked. Bella knew that the look of recognition in her eyes gave her away.

"Like I said, 'bout a year ago there was an early freeze, and the overpass iced over. It happens a lot. A young couple in an SUV slid on the ice and hit the car the Cullen kid was driving. It killed the other driver and Cullen's passenger."

"Was Edward hurt?" Bella asked. Charlie looked up from his plate again.

"Oh no, you're not going to make me the town gossip; too many of those already. I've already flapped my jaw more than I ought to have," Charlie muttered. "You want more information, go talk to Edward." He said as he stood up and took his now clear plate to the sink.

"Thanks Bells, that was delicious; even better than the Lodge!" Charlie said as he made his way out to watch the game. Bella knew that she wouldn't get any more information from him, so she quickly did the dishes and said, "Night Dad," as she carefully went upstairs. She really hadn't gotten any more information from Charlie than she had from Jessica over the lunch table. One thing Bella knew for sure; she needed to get to know Edward Cullen.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! And, if you haven't done so already, check out my entry for the An Exploration of the Senses contest Well, He was Just Seventeen. Remember to cast your vote before September 16, 2009!

ebhg:)


	8. Black Icecapades

**Heart and Soul Chapter 8**

**A/N:** If you read the previous chapter before Jan 28, 2009, please re-read it, it has been revised; hopefully it flows much better now, thanks go to Justine Lark for her input :)

Bella was frustrated; _very _frustrated. It had been two weeks since she had inadvertently insulted Edward Cullen; two torturous weeks of awkwardly sharing lab equipment under Mr. Banner's scrutinous supervision. Bella had started to wonder if their biology teacher was trying to test her knowledge independently from Edward before he allowed the class to work together again. He had assigned labs that were specifically designed to be performed alone. Every day, Bella and Edward had traded polite greetings while setting up their lab stations; then Mr. Banner would start class, and they would have to separate to work on their own.

Edward still sat with his siblings at lunch; Bella was too reserved to approach him while he was surrounded by his family. Jessica and Angela made sure to include Bella at their table in the cafeteria, and Mike trailed along to biology at Bella's side every day. He talked to her about mundane topics, regardless as to whether or not she participated in the conversation. He would sit on the lab table and continue his prattle until Mr. Banner called the class to order. As soon as the bell had rung to dismiss sixth hour, Mike would jump to grab her attention and walk her to gym before Edward could even utter a word. Bella had even started to wonder if Mike thought she was helpless because of her obvious lack of coordination. He was starting to treat her like the hoverers in Phoenix did; as though convinced that she would collapse at a moment's notice. Heaven forbid should Mike ever find out about her heart transplant; he would probably get a wheel chair to escort her in around school the very next day.

Just to add to her frustration, the ever-present rain had turned to snow the previous morning during school. Bella had only realized this when the omnipresent pitter-patter of rain drops over her head had ceased. The sudden hush had almost been unnerving.

All day yesterday, several students around school had been throwing soggy balls of slush; eyes aglow with the merriment that usually accompanied frozen wet stuff falling from the sky. But not Edward; he didn't seem to like the snow, not that Bella could blame him. Bella herself made it a point to get inside when people started flinging cold wet things around. She didn't even enjoy water balloons back in Phoenix; snowballs were definitely on her list of things to avoid.

At lunch, Edward's larger brother had come in and had shaken his wet hair out all over his brothers before shoving a wet handful of snow down the back of Edward's shirt. Edward let out a growl and jumped up to shake out his clothes. Jessica had noticed his actions and had started encouraging him to take off his shirt under her breath. Edward had looked over at their table and stopped shaking his shirt abruptly as though he could hear her. Bella had almost laughed at the scandalized look that momentarily crossed Edward's face. Then Edward had met her eyes and took in the slightly amused expression on Bella's face; instantly he gave her a small smile and dropped down into his seat before giving his dark-haired, smug-faced sister a frustrated look.

This morning, Charlie had caught her thinking about the lunch time exchange between Edward and his siblings; however, he was trying to tell her to take it easy while driving, and mistook her preoccupation for indifference. He admonished Bella to drive more cautiously on the icy roads.

"_I put some chains on your tires this morning, but you can't use them as an excuse to drive like this is Phoenix. Think of the chains as a life vest; if your boat gets tipped, you might lose your tackle, but the vest will keep you from getting killed,"_he had said.

'_Only Charlie could equate snow chains to fishing' _thought Bella. She smiled and shook her head ruefully at that thought before she grabbed her enormous coat and shrugged it on. When she walked out to her truck, she nearly slipped three times on the icy steps and path before she was safely buckled behind the wheel. The deafening engine roared to life more readily than Bella would have expected for how cold it was. After a few minutes of letting the engine warm, she slowly started on her way to school.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Edward, you'll do fine, I know it," Alice said encouragingly. "Esme made sure Carlisle put snow chains on all our cars last night," she continued, buoying Edward's confidence with her encouragement. He knew better than to disagree with his sister. Only a fool would bet against Alice's gut instincts; she called it her womanly intuition. Emmett simply called it 'freaking foresight.'

Edward smiled at the thought of Emmett and Alice. They were more brother and sister to him than he could have imagined when he first met them. He didn't like to think about that time, when he had rebelled from Carlisle and Esme.

Tanya and her family had been forced to move back to Russia for a time while they waited for their visas and green cards to be renewed so that they could return and become naturalized citizens. Edward had been thirteen at the time, and had taken it hard. Shortly after Tanya had left Forks, there had been a house fire in town close by Edward's school. Looking at the burned out shell for weeks on end had reminded him all too forcefully of his life and family before he was adopted by the Cullens.

He had had several vivid nightmares, pieced and patched together from the vague recollections and fuzzy memories of when his own home had burned down. Carlisle and Esme had always been very open with him about his parents. Whenever he asked, they had readily shared what little they knew of Edward and Elizabeth Masen. Curiosity aside, he had never really grieved the loss of his parents; five was just too young to fully understand what had happened. He remembered asking for his parents, and had cried for his mother in the first month, but he was happy and well cared for. Eventually, he stopped asking for his parents and his memories of them faded back into the recesses of his mind. At thirteen, though, Edward had felt tortured by his suddenly resurfaced memories. He had felt abandoned by his parents and alone because of Tanya's absence. As such he decided to run away from it all; with his stash of allowance from Carlisle and Esme in his pocket, and his backpack slung over his shoulders, he hitch-hiked to Seattle.

He had lived off of his cash on his own on the streets for a few days until he had met up with the unlikely pair he now called brother and sister. Emmett, even at fourteen, was huge, and Alice was even tinier and pixie-like at thirteen. This hulking boy and this tiny waif of a girl had met on the streets and formed a bond. Emmett would protect Alice from the ever-present dangers of living on the street, and she would use her amazing 'freaking foresight' to guide them to the best picks on the bustling streets of Seattle; tourists too absorbed in their sight-seeing, or business men to absorbed in their hand-held devices to miss their wallet until hours later.

It wasn't their favorite way to live, but neither Emmett or Alice had had a pleasant life in the foster system. The three teens banded together, and Emmett and Alice taught Edward how to pick pockets. They soon learned that Edward was the best and the fastest 'pick' of the unlikely trio. Emmett and Alice became the decoys and Edward would lift their income from the unsuspecting visitors and citizens of Seattle. They always made sure to pick the people who looked like they could afford a 'donation' as Emmett called it. Edward was insistent upon that; he didn't want to be responsible for taking someone else's meal.

As skilled as they were, six months after Edward had run away, the three of them had been caught by a dragnet of the Seattle Police department intent on 'cleaning up the streets.' Edward had been recognized by one of the arresting officers who closely followed the reports of missing children in the state. Edward's unusually-colored hair had given him away; Carlisle and Esme were immediately notified, and plans were made to release Edward into their care. Because of their ages and situation, Emmett and Alice were simply remanded to the custody of their guardian; which in their case was the state of Washington. Edward knew though, that Emmett and Alice would be split up and lost once more to the foster system. Within a month, they would be right back on the street, and he would lose his brother and sister.

It hadn't been hard to convince his adoptive parents to take in Edward's new siblings of choice; Carlisle's compassionate nature and Esme's loving heart made it impossible to refuse their first son.

When they returned to Forks, Edward had learned that Esme's sister and husband had died while he had been on his own; the Cullens were now also fostering her niece and nephew, Rosalie and Jasper Hale. Emmett and Alice had immediately fallen for their new housemates. Edward got along with Jasper fine; he was immediately another brother. Rosalie and Edward, however, blended together about as well as oil and water. She always denied it, but Edward felt that Rosalie had been jealous of Esme and Carlisle's affection for him, and their relief at finding him well.

"Lost in thought much?" Alice asked, smirking. Edward blinked and looked at his sister before he gave her a smile.

"Just thinking of when I met you Pixie," taunted Edward. He knew how much Alice disliked that nickname; Emmett had dubbed her with it mainly because of her size, but also because of their chosen profession on the streets. Alice's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. Then she looked smug when she thought, '_Well, I guess those good vibes I was feeling weren't for you after all."_ Then, she turned on her heel and marched into the garage where their siblings were waiting by Edward's Volvo.

"What? What do you mean by that? Alice, you can't just drop cryptic little hints like that and then start humming the chicken dance song in your head! You know I hate that song! It never ends!" Edward groaned.

Emmett and Rosalie started laughing at Edward's plight. Jasper seemed less than amused; he was such an empathetic person, he was already singing the chicken song in his head in unwilling sympathy, even though he couldn't even hear his girlfriend taunting Edward with it. Now Edward heard the annoying and repetitive song in surround sound, though since Alice and Jasper couldn't hear each other, they were annoyingly out of synch. Edward growled in his frustration and looked over the top of the car at his larger brother.

"No sitting in the middle today; this is going to be a stressful enough drive without you blocking my mirror and making faces at me," Edward said.

"Sure, little brother; I wouldn't dream of making things difficult for you. Come on Rosie, you can sit in the middle and glare at Edward the whole way," Emmett said with a smirk before starting his own mental rendition of the chicken song. Edward shook his head at him. Emmett may be the best brother he could hope for, but he certainly knew how to push all the right buttons.

"Loosen up, Edward; we're just trying to help you relax. You can do this," Alice said. Edward let out a deep breath as he sat down in the driver's seat and listened for the clicks of everyone's seatbelts.

"Here we go; back in the saddle, nothing to it," Edward muttered; and then he pulled cautiously out of the garage and onto the icy roads.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella pulled into the school parking lot early; she hadn't wanted to get to school quite so soon, but it seemed that her ancient truck handled the icy conditions better than Bella herself did. As she drove slowly down the aisle of already parked cars in the student lot, she caught a glimpse of silver behind her.

Edward Cullen was pulling into a space four cars down from her truck. She had been lucky and caught a closer space at the end of the row hidden by the badly parked suburban next to her. She looked back over her shoulder and through the windows of the other cars to watch the Cullens park. The look on Edward's face was one of intense concentration; both of his hands were visible through his windshield, tightly gripping his steering wheel at the ten and two o'clock positions.

Bella smiled as she watched Edward's adoptive siblings walk slowly towards the school. The short, dark-haired girl that Bella remembered was named Alice turned around and gave a thumbs-up to her brother as he climbed slowly out of his car and shut the door. As though steeling himself for something, Edward turned towards Bella's rusty truck and walked towards her. Bella rushed to get unbuckled so that she could meet Edward at the tail-end of her truck. She struggled with the retro-fitted seatbelt for a moment as the shoulder strap got tangled around her left arm as it retracted.

Once free of the belt, Bella hopped out of the truck eagerly, only to grab the side of the truck and hang on while her feet attempted to find purchase beneath her. She slid hand-over-hand along the bed of her truck towards Edward, who waited patiently though he seemed to Bella to be fighting a smile.

"Do you need some help?" he asked in his smooth voice; his shining eyes gave him away though. He was fighting to keep a straight face.

"No, no! I'm fine; I've got to get used to this sometime, though I'm sure my coccyx will be happier when that happens," Bella said, and then she turned a brilliant shade of red at the crooked answering smile that Edward gave her. She closed her eyes waiting for the heat to recede from her face.

"Did I really just use the word 'coccyx' in casual conversation?" she asked Edward, clearly mortified that it had in fact happened.

"Why should that embarrass you? It's just a tailbone. My father is a surgeon, you know; those sorts of words get used casually at our dinner table," Edward explained. "You shouldn't hide your intelligence, Bella," Edward said.

"Easy for you to say," Bella muttered.

"I'm sorry? I didn't catch that."

"Nothing," she said quickly before letting out a big breath and continuing, "You're right, I shouldn't hide it. It's just that it tends to make others uncomfortable. Of course, it could have been much more awkward; I could have been wearing a shower cap or something," Bella said hurriedly; then she blushed again.

"A shower cap? Why would you think about wearing a shower cap during a conversation about coccyxes?" Edward smiled his crooked grin.

"Is this a custom from Phoenix that I'm not privy to? I didn't think it rained very much there," Edward teased. Bella smiled regardless of the light blush that still stained her cheeks.

"Well, it was the most embarrassing thing I could think of…" Bella trailed off when she heard it. It was easily the most terrifying sound she had heard in her short life. The screeching wail of locked brakes and skidding tires reached her ears, causing her heart to speed up until it felt as though it had moved to her throat. Adrenaline coursed through her system. From the corner of her eye, she could see a large blue van sliding across the pavement, directly towards her truck. She and Edward would be crushed between the two steel tanks right there in the parking lot of Forks High School.

'_Irony is painful'_ flashed through Bella's mind as she stood frozen for what seemed like an eternity, though in reality hadn't even been two seconds. She was contemplating the odds of surviving a heart transplant only to be crushed by a van. Therefore, Bella was completely shocked when Edward Cullen threw himself at her and tackled her to the ground, turning in the air so that his larger, heavier body wouldn't crush hers when they landed. Bella heard a solid thud when Edward's head made contact with the pavement. He lay there dazed, but conscious; his hands no longer cradled her tightly. Bella still lay panicking atop his lanky frame when she registered that the van had T-boned the rear of her truck at a slight angle, but it hadn't stopped. The big blue van was closing on her truck as though the two vehicles were a pair of scissors, and she and Edward were still trapped between them.

Bella glanced over her shoulder at the van coming towards them as though it were in slow motion; the adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream was making her brain work impossibly fast. The screeching metal-on-metal sound still filled her ears as the van rotated terrifyingly on the ice that had caused Bella to clutch to the side of her truck. It would be impossible for the van to come to a halt before it crushed them beneath its tires. She knew that Edward's impromptu tackle had taken them out of the point of first impact, but they weren't out of danger yet. Praying that adrenaline was all it was cracked up to be, Bella grasped the front of Edward's coat and threw her weight to the side as hard as she could, rolling Edward with her to the space under her truck just as the side of the van impacted with the rusted Chevy.

"EDWARD!!" Bella could hear Edward's siblings yelling for him.

"BELLA!!" Angela, Jessica, Mike and a few others called for her. Edward groaned, and tried to move, but he was stuck. That Bella had managed to get the both of them under the truck, when now they could hardly move, was miraculous.

"I guess adrenaline really is strong stuff," Bella muttered.

"What?" Edward asked. He was obviously still somewhat dazed, and had clamped his hands over his ears like they were ringing.

"Heavy…too heavy…" Bella managed to croak out, though it used all the air in her lungs to force the words out.

"Huh? OH! Sorry," Edward said and rested his weight on his elbows again, though he also succeeded in smacking the tender area on the back of his head against the chassis of the truck. Edward grunted and dropped his head onto Bella's shoulder.

"Sorry, I think I've got the drive train up against my back; I think we're wedged in," said Edward, though his voice was muffled. As often as she had wanted to talk to Edward Cullen, this was the last way Bella would have thought to break the ice with him. Realizing the irony of what she had just thought, she let out a disbelieving snort, her body shaking in sudden silent laughter.

"I'll just, uh…are you crying?" Edward asked tentatively.

"No, I just was pondering the irony of this situation; I thought that this was not the best way to break the ice with you…" Bella trailed off and started laughing again, though Edward joined her now.

"We've got to stop laughing, Bella, I think I've got a bolt or two knocking on my kidneys…" Edward said while he tried to stifle his laughter. Bella quieted down, though her face froze when she heard the sirens.

"Oh, no! Charlie! He's going to hit the roof…" Bella said, closing her eyes in frustration.

"You are utterly absurd, Bella. You're worried about your father's potential over-reaction? We were, not five minutes ago, nearly crushed to death, twice! Now we're trapped here under your truck…" Edward trailed off suddenly, his eyes growing wide and unfocused. Bella was momentarily confused; then she remembered what had happened to Edward less than two years previous. A tragic accident which resulted in the death of two people, and left another two scarred. As the adrenaline left his system, his brain processed what exactly had just happened while he was teasing Bella about it. His breathing became erratic; his heart pounded even harder against Bella's chest and his muscles trembled from the cold and the quickly retreating adrenaline.

Bella had seen Renee have enough panic attacks to know one when she saw it. She knew that she needed to calm him down, to keep him from going into shock, though all around them people were yelling, crying, calling their names, and adding to the sudden feeling of panic that had enveloped him. Bella pulled her hands from between them and grabbed either side of his face and made him look into her eyes.

The electric tingle that she felt as she cradled his face in her hands almost distracted her completely, but she gathered herself and began, "Ok, listen to me Edward, we're just fine…you can hear the sirens, they know we're here, they'll get us out. Breathe, don't hyperventilate, that will only make things worse."

Bella pulled his head once more onto her shoulder and ran her hands through his messy hair. She started talking about Renee and Charlie, and how the rain kept her up at night; nothing truly important, she just wanted him to concentrate on her voice. Soon enough, he had calmed down, though he didn't move his head.

"Thank you…" he murmured without looking at her. Bella simply gave a squeeze in acknowledgement; she didn't trust her voice to remain steady.

"OK! On three! ONE, TWO, THREE!" a strange man's voice ordered, and suddenly, the van was being moved away from the truck enough to allow someone to peek their head down and look for them.

"Bella? Edward? How are you doing? Are either of you hurt?" asked the man; he was wearing a firefighter's uniform, though without the helmet.

"I'm fine, but Edward hit his head, and we're stuck under here," Bella explained. She was able to turn her head and look at the EMT, though Edward still lay with his head on her shoulder, looking in the opposite direction. He murmured his agreement into her hair. The EMT grunted his acknowledgement and disappeared; then the van was moved further away, and he returned.

"OK, well, we're going to get some jacks and lift the truck up a bit; do you think you could crawl out?"

"Yeah, I think so," murmured both Bella and Edward.

"Well, here we go!" the fireman said before his head disappeared again and two more pairs of feet returned a moment later with two large jacks. They placed a jack under each axle on the driver's side, and started to lift the truck.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Edward could feel the truck lift centimeter by centimeter until he could move to the side and off of Bella. He rolled again, moving out from under the truck. An EMT was waiting for him there with a backboard and a neck brace. When Edward saw them, he groaned.

"Sorry, bud, but the lady said you hit your head. Dr. Cullen wants to see you down at the hospital," the firefighter explained sheepishly.

Edward noticed Bella come out, sliding on her belly, and standing tentatively. Edward scowled at her from the ground for ratting on him, but she just shrugged her shoulders and gave him a small grin. Edward rolled once more so that he was on the backboard and glared up at the somewhat familiar face of the man speaking to him.

"Eddie! We've got to stop meeting this way," the man teased.

"Don't call me Eddie," Edward growled; the EMT's around him just finished strapping him onto the board and laughed.

"You know? That's exactly what you said last time!" the EMT said. Edward merely growled his frustration at being in this situation again, where all of Forks High School could witness it.

Edward felt the vaguely familiar feeling of having left his stomach on the ground when the EMT's picked up the backboard in a smooth quick movement. It was almost like riding a roller coaster, but in reverse.

"Bella!! What's going on?! Are you alright?"

Edward could hear Chief Swan rush over to his daughter and pepper her with questions. She continually reassured him, and refused any treatment from the firefighters on scene. "Edward saved me, he didn't let anything hit me," she had reassured everyone, though Edward wondered if she was saying it for his benefit as well. Charlie promised the EMT's that he would take her in to the hospital himself, which she was still protesting, even as Charlie thought, '_She'll go get checked out if I have to arrest her to do it!'_

Hearing Charlie's thoughts made Edward smile; then he heard the worried thoughts of his family.

"My brothers and sisters are over there," Edward waved a hand in their direction, "Could you please let them know I'm fine?" he said as he glared up at the familiar EMT who was now strapping Edward onto the gurney before loading him into the ambulance.

"I'll go let them know what's going on," reassured the female EMT.

"Still a fighter, I see," she said with a grin. Then, Alice rushed over, unable to stay away any longer.

'Y_ou'll do fine Edward. Though I think Carlisle may send you home, and Esme may be tempted to wrap you in bubble wrap,' _she thought while leaning over his head and climbing into the back of the ambulance with him. Edward smiled and tried to look at her, but he was strapped too firmly. He instead resorted to sifting through his siblings thoughts to take in the scene around him.

'_Such a shame this has to happen to such a handsome boy and twice in two years too!' _Edward recognized this new mental voice as the female partner of the EMT who kept laughing every time he called Edward 'Eddie.' He let out a groan, one which his siblings were familiar with.

'_I'll make her back off, Edward.' _He was surprised to hear Rose think that, rather than Alice. His being strapped to a gurney must have softened his foster sister's attitude. '_One more ride in an ambulance and she might stop arguing with me every day,' _thought Edward ruefully.

Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie immediately followed Edward and Alice into the ambulance, giving the female paramedic a glare when she protested.

"There's plenty of room, you only need one of you back here," Rosalie said; Edward could see the frowning EMT in Rose's thoughts, and he was grateful for his sister's insistence.

"I'll just ride up front then Joe," the EMT said to her partner.

"Ok Megan, I've got a handle on Eddie here, don't worry. You can make pretty eyes at him and his dad at the hospital," he said. Edward saw Megan glare at Joe in all of their thoughts, and all of their smirking faces in Megan's mind. Suddenly he felt overwhelmed from all the thoughts and the stress of the morning. He let out a big breath, closed his eyes, and started counting backwards from 1000 to close his mind to everything else.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella reassured the EMT's once more that she hadn't been hurt. Then, she turned to see her father; he stood with his hands on his hips, and both eyebrows rose as he took in Bella's muddy, grease-stained clothes and haystack hair.

"I want you to get checked out, Bells. This was a serious accident! Did you see them load the Cullen boy up? He had a neck brace! Sometimes you can't tell you're hurt till it's too late. I'll take you to the hospital myself," said Charlie, and then he guided Bella by the shoulder to his cruiser.

Bella opened the passenger side door and got in before Charlie could help her and make her feel like she was under arrest. "I'm fine, Ch-Dad," she said. Charlie just grunted and pulled onto the highway after the ambulance.

"Really Dad, Edward saved our lives; I'm fine, not a scratch," Bella said.

"I still want you to talk to your doctor at least. I was terrified, Bells," Charlie said. It was this admission that made Bella agree; Charlie rarely ever admitted things like that. It just wasn't in his nature.

"Fine; as long as you keep Mom out of this," Bella attempted to bargain.

"Well, you see, Bella…"

"You called her already, didn't you?" Bella moaned. She knew Renee was probably already on the phone with the airline, trying to book the next flight.

"You were stuck under your truck, and she called me first! What else was I supposed to say?" Charlie said.

Bella couldn't argue with him. Renee was amazingly perceptive; she could tell a lie before it was even fully out of Bella's mouth.

"You can call her back then, and tell her I'm fine, nothing happened. Don't mention Edward though; she might ask for a full biography including physical description, up to and including birthmarks and scars," Bella muttered.

"Uh…"

"You didn't! You told her?" Bella squeaked.

"Well, I kinda had to; she wouldn't let it rest until she had the whole situation. She's waiting for you to call her back…"

Bella put her head into her hands and sighed. "Fine, I'll call her, but not until I know how Edward is doing."

"Fair enough…maybe you could ask Dr. Cullen to draw you a diagram of any birthmarks and scars while you're at it. Save you the trouble of asking once you're on the phone," Charlie said as he pulled to a stop in front of the hospital Bella could tell he was struggling to hold back his smirk, but he wasn't succeeding. Bella groaned and hopped out of the cruiser, stalking towards the hospital before she could be embarrassed any further.

A/N: Whew! This is the longest chapter so far! Let me know what you think!


	9. Awkward Interactions

**Heart and Soul Chapter 9**

Edward was nearly calm by the time the ambulance pulled onto the highway. He constantly scanned his sibling's thoughts, trying to keep his tentative focus intact. Joe the EMT kept up a steady stream of conversation during the ride, and Edward's eyes flew open when he heard Joe think, '_He's falling asleep…damn…he must have hit his head harder than he realized…I'll have to make sure and tell Dr. Cullen…'_

'_I will not spend all day in the emergency room because this oaf can't tell the difference between concentration and sleep!' _Edward thought.

"So, you guys are all paired up huh? That's nice…at least you guys don't have to pick your girl up for a date right? It's like a dinner date every night!" Joe rambled absently.

'_Thank you Captain Obvious_,' Rosalie snarked in her head though she was seemingly unaffected by the semi-abrasive man as she inspected her nails. Edward smirked at her sarcasm and started listening to the paramedic again.

"…I mean, I asked Megan here to marry me…we've been dating awhile now…she said if we had kids they'd all get my toilet mouth, so I'm trying to get the swearing down…" Joe said, though Edward could hear him mentally cataloguing Edward's vital signs and writing them down on his clipboard.

'_This is a hell of a lot easier ride than last time…at least he's not crashing on me…' _Joe pictured that night while he thought this, causing Edward to cringe and groan at the vaguely familiar mental pictures that brought forth his own painful memories.

'_Edward, just ignore him…I think I can imagine what he's thinking…don't let his memories get to you,' _Alice thought as she squeezed Edward's hand in support. Edward squeezed back and joked, "I'm fine you guys…you don't have to act like you're riding in a hearse…"

Emmett and Jasper laughed and each gave Edward a small punch to each of his shoulders in support. Alice squeezed his hand harder. Rosalie scoffed and smacked Edward's leg with the back of her hand.

"Don't even go there, Edward Cullen," Rosalie snapped. Edward was surprised to see her thinking about the last time Edward was in this position, and was oddly touched by her display of affection, as indirect as it was.

After a few more minutes, the drive was over; the ambulance slowed and they were all jostled as the large vehicle lumbered over the curb and sidled up to the special entrance reserved for ambulances. Edward was pulled from his musings when he heard his father's thoughts as he watched an ambulance pull up carrying his son for the second time in as many years.

'_Edward…I would prefer if you didn't visit me at work in this manner anymore…I'd rather you used the visitor's entrance, son,' _thought Carlisle.

Edward grimaced, and hoped that Esme wouldn't actually consider the bubble wrap that Alice had teased him about earlier.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella met Charlie outside of her doctor's office less than half an hour after he dropped her off at the hospital entrance. The office nurse, Grace, had given her a quick evaluation and had deemed her in perfect health; a fact which Bella had wasted no time in communicating to Charlie.

"She said I'm fine, Dad. Not even a scratch," she said.

"Well…that's good; now you can call your mother, and give her the latest news," Charlie replied.

"No, I want to check on Edward first." Bella saw the uncomfortable expression come over her father's face. Rather than be interrogated over a relationship that didn't truly exist, she continued in a sarcastic tone, "I'd better not forget blood type and fingerprints; she may want to run things by the FBI." Bella had to fight the grin that threatened to cross her face when Charlie visibly relaxed.

"Now, Bells, she can't be all that bad…" he said.

Bella just let out a frustrated breath and started towards the emergency room, muttering, "You have no idea," as Charlie followed behind her. Bella turned around just before the automatic doors to the ER; saw the look on her father's face and his hand resting on the hip that held his service gun.

She narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Ch-Dad…you are not going to go in there and intimidate him! He saved our lives, and he's a nice person."

"You like him?" he asked, the uncomfortable expression taking over his face once again.

"Dad! I am not going to answer that, just so that you can give him the third degree," she said exasperatedly. Charlie looked nervous now. Bella hadn't exactly confirmed or denied her status with or feelings for Edward, but she knew it was only a matter of time before her father invited Edward over at a time when he could see Charlie polish his gun collection.

Charlie merely pursed his lips and said, "Okay, let's go get your diagram; just scars and birthmarks? Or can I add tattoos to the list?" Then he passed Bella before she could do more than stare in open-mouthed shock as he strode into the ER in full sheriff mode. Bella groaned and walked over to the receptionist's desk, intent on finding Edward.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Dad, I'm fine, would you please get me off this board and take off this ridiculous neck brace?!" Edward said. He was tiring of the stiff board beneath him and the stiff plastic foam brace attached to the board that immobilized his head and neck. If he weren't surfing through all the thoughts and borrowing the eyes of everyone around him, he surely would have gone mad staring up at the same patch of water-stained ceiling tile for the past half-hour.

"Well, I'd like to see the x-ray first, rule out the need for a CT scan…" Carlisle said absentmindedly while he looked over Edward's chart.

"Dad…I do _not _need a cat scan," Edward said.

"How about you let me decide that? Last I checked, you didn't have a medical degree, unless you managed to attend medical school without my knowledge," Carlisle said with a grin. '_Your mother said you were fairly advanced in your science studies, you didn't by chance go to online med school did you?'_ Carlisle joked silently for Edward's benefit.

"I'm just going to go check in radiology…maybe I can speed up the process a bit," Carlisle said aloud before he walked out of Edward's room and shut the door behind him leaving Edward to the company of his adopted siblings.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella looked around the waiting area of the not-yet familiar Emergency Room. There were clusters of teenagers that Bella was vaguely familiar with awaiting the latest update on their fellow classmates. Charlie was already at the receptionist desk asking for Tyler Crowley, who, Bella learned, was driving the van that had nearly crushed her and Edward.

"Can I help you?"

Bella turned around to see a short woman in scrubs. Her arms were full of clipboards and patient charts, and she seemed frazzled by the sudden unexpected influx of teenagers overflowing the waiting room and hallways of the hospital.

"Can you help me find Edward Cullen?" she asked.

"Sure, Hon; he's in exam two," she said before turning around and leaving Bella to find the room on her own.

"Ok…thanks for your help," she called to the woman's retreating back. The short woman merely lifted a hand in acknowledgement without looking back.

Bella let out a breath and followed the hallway marked 'exam rooms one through five' until she had found a blond doctor outside the door she was looking for. He was holding some x-ray films up to the florescent lights above him, while inexplicably whistling the theme to the Andy Griffith show. Bella cleared her throat to get his attention, and was momentarily stunned when he turned his face to acknowledge her. He was the best looking doctor that Bella had ever seen, which was saying something, considering the number of specialists she had seen for her heart disease. This doctor looked young, yet distinguished all the same.

"Uh...I'm looking for Edward Cullen..." she managed to stammer through her blush. The doctor held her gaze for a few seconds; he seemed momentarily confused. Then, his eyes widened in recognition and he smirked.

"You must be Bella Swan. I'm Edward's father, Carlisle Cullen." He held out his hand and Bella shook it.

"Please, after you," he said, stepping aside and gesturing for her to precede him into the room beside them.

"Thanks," Bella said as her cheeks reddened involuntarily for the second time since meeting Dr. Cullen.

"Edward," Carlisle started as he came into the room.

"Please! The Andy Griffith theme song is nearly as bad as the chicken song! Please tell me you're coming to spring me out of here; I really want to sit up, and this brace is really starting to get on my nerves!" Edward growled out.

Carlisle cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows at his adoptive son. Bella looked around the room, taking in Edward's brothers and sisters. His blond brother sat in a chair beside the bed; Alice was perched on his lap. His huge brother and his blonde sister stood beside the supply cabinets along the wall. The tall blonde girl was pulling a handful of tongue depressors from the enormous brother's hands.

"Edward, you have a friend here to see you," Carlisle scolded.

"Can I take off this completely unnecessary neck brace now?" Edward asked, not acknowledging what Carlisle had said.

"Yes, Edward, your x-rays were normal," Carlisle said. Before Carlisle could move any further, Edward reached up and started pulling on the Velcro straps immobilizing his head and neck. His siblings all started helping him with the straps on his lower body, and in no time, he was sitting up, pulling the brace off of his neck and tossing it across the room. Carlisle raised an eyebrow at Edward, but he shrugged unrepentantly and turned to face Bella, his legs hanging off the side of his stretcher.

"Are you alright? Do you need Dr. Cullen here to give you the third degree as well?" Edward asked her playfully. The earnest look in his eyes made Bella bite back the somewhat sarcastic reply she'd had on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she shook her head and gave him a small smile.

"No, no, I got checked out by my doctor's office; healthy as a horse," Bella said.

"Good…" Edward trailed off as his eyes wandered around the crowded room. Carlisle looked meaningfully at the others and cleared his throat. Edward's siblings and his father all wordlessly left the room; Carlisle promised to be back shortly.

They just started at each other, content to listen to the thick silence that covered the room.

"Thank you…" Edward and Bella said together. They broke off and laughed together, relieved.

"Really…Thanks. You saved me twice today," Edward said. He didn't elaborate, but Bella knew he was referring to his panic attack in addition to her rolling them beneath her truck.

"You saved us first, I couldn't have done anything if you hadn't tackled me," Bella said. Silence permeated the room once more.

"You're welcome," they said together, smiling again.

"How _did_ you get us under your truck? I was a little dazed…then my kidneys were getting acquainted with your truck's drive train…I can't believe we fit under there, let alone that you moved me. I must have at least seventy-five pounds on you…" Edward trailed off, though he was looking at her expectantly.

"Uh…I think it must have been the adrenaline…strong stuff…you can Google it…" Bella said. Her blush seemed permanent now. Edward smiled his crooked smile and they laughed together.

"I don't think you're proud or disagreeable…I wasn't thinking of Elizabeth's first impression when I said that," Bella blurted out; she turned red as soon as she realized what she said.

"I know…Alice was sure to let me know that I needed to learn how to properly use literature while flirting," Edward turned red himself when Bella gasped at his admission of flirting with her. Then, Edward and Bella were spared any further embarrassment of their own doing when Carlisle and Charlie entered the room and took over.

"Edward, how are you feeling now that you've sat up? Any dizziness or soreness?" Carlisle questioned while gently probing Edward's head where he had hit the pavement, and the truck chassis. Edward winced when his father's fingers touched the goose egg he had.

"I take it that's a yes on the soreness," Carlisle said, and Edward grimaced in response.

"How's your back?" Carlisle continued, moving around behind Edward and reaching for the hem of his shirt. "Let me see…you have some bruising…nothing too bad…"

Edward had clamped his hands over his shirt front, trying to keep his stomach covered when Carlisle rolled up the back of his shirt to examine where Edward had been pressed against the underside of Bella's truck. He wasn't quick enough, however, to keep Bella from catching a glimpse of the long scar running the length of his abdomen. Ironically, it was quite similar to the one Bella kept hidden on her chest.

Edward looked indignantly over at Charlie and said, "I don't have any tattoos and I don't think you need to know about any other scars, or birthmarks for that matter." Then, his face went pale when he noticed the shocked expression on Charlie's face, and the bright red blush that covered Bella's face and neck.

"Sorry Edward, I guess I forget sometimes that I'm more dad than doctor to you. Chief Swan, Bella? Would you mind waiting outside? I think Edward could use a little privacy," Carlisle quickly interjected, saving Edward from explaining how he had heard their private joke.

"Sure Dr. Cullen…Bells?" Charlie said. He looked a little unnerved, and eager to leave the room.

'_What is he hiding?' _thought Bella._ 'How did he know what we had been joking about? Does he have super hearing or something? Get real, Bella, we weren't even in the ER when we were talking about that…he's not Superman… I feel like I just walked into the Twilight Zone episodes that Renee scares herself silly with…I wonder if his scar is from his accident. He must have been hurt pretty badly to have a surgical scar like that. What is his inexplicable source of embarrassing knowledge, though?'_

'_It's like he just pulled that right out of Charlie's head...Stop it Bella; surviving a tragic accident does __**not**__ make one into a mind reader… He was looking at me funny in biology though, like he was concentrating really hard…I did say he looked like Carnac…Bella! This is __**not**__ a creepy black and white television show! People don't just read other people's minds. I think this town is driving me insane…'_

"Bells?" Charlie startled her from her thoughts, "I think I've got everything I need. It was an accident, pure and simple. I think that someone needs to be reminded not to eavesdrop on private conversations; I can't believe they told Edward about our joke. I'll mention it to Dr. Cullen when I see him again."

"Good idea Dad," Bella agreed quickly.

"Do you want me to hang out with you today? I can take the rest of the day off…"

"No Dad, I think I'll just go back to school, otherwise everyone might think that Edward and I died," Bella said only partially joking. Bella had found in the short time that she had been in Forks that rumors, regardless of truth, spread around town faster than wildfire in the Arizona desert during drought.

"Ok, Bella. You can call your mom on the way; I'll give you a ride. Though there may not be any students left at school. I think they're all here…" Charlie joked.

Bella groaned as she recalled the phone call she still had to make, and the stuffed waiting room. Maybe she was already presumed dead, and she could just enter a relocation program. Surely that would be better than facing the curious masses.

Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley were sure to be unbearable, especially if Edward decided not to come back to school for a few days. Jessica would want every little detail; Mike would be jealous, and mope like Edward had kicked Mike's dog, rather than done something heroic. Bella sighed and turned to Charlie.

"Thanks, Dad. I'd like to tell Edward goodbye first though."

"Sure, sure, Bells. I'll just bring the car around. See you out front…" Charlie said. Then he patted her shoulder and walked in the direction of the exit. Bella turned on her heel and walked towards exam room two once more. She paused in front of the door and raised her fist to knock when she noticed there were several voices muffled behind the door.

"_Rosalie, just relax," _it was Dr. Cullen's voice.

"_He just slipped in front of her and her father, the chief of police! Edward is going to be in some lab rat loony bin wearing a straight jacket and a foil helmet before the month is over unless he drops her," _Rosalie huffed.

"_Rose!"_ several of the voices said at once.

"_What? It's true..." _she defended herself.

"_She won't tell anyone, Edward you can trust her. She'll be good for you…you'll be good for each other. She's had a rough time too, I think…' _it was Alice.

"_I think what I tell her is my business, Rosalie, and I will not 'drop her.' Alice is right…I trust Bella, even if I can't hear her," _Edward's voice said finally.

'_Can't hear me? What is this secret he's keeping? And why can't he hear me? Am I broken?!' _Bella thought.

Before they could say anything more, Bella knocked on the door with her still raised hand. After a silent moment, Dr. Cullen opened the door and invited her in as though he had known it would be her.

"I just wanted to let you know I was leaving…I'm sorry if my Dad embarrassed you, Edward. She turned to Edward's father. Ch-Dad mentioned that maybe you should warn the staff not to _eavesdrop_ _and_ _spread_ _stories," _Bella emphasized the last few words to let them know that Charlie wasn't suspicious; that she was, though she wasn't going to say anything.

"Yes! Please let him know I will mention it in the next staff meeting," Carlisle promised. Bella could see his relief in his eyes. She turned to Edward and saw the same look on his face and that of his brothers. Rosalie looked agitated but resigned, and Alice was smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

"Edward, will I see you later at school?" Bella asked. Before he could answer, Dr. Cullen replied, "I'm going to recommend that he go home and rest today."

"Oh; tomorrow then?" Bella asked, and Edward shrugged, though he didn't agree or disagree.

"Bye, Edward, Dr. Cullen…" Bella trailed off and left the room to find her father. She wasn't certain, but she thought she heard Edward softly call, "Bye, Bella."

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

A/N: Ok! Well, the common cold struck again at my house…I think the preschool my daughter attends needs to be Lysol-ed or something. Anyways, as always, please let me know what you think!

Reviews make me happy:)


	10. Rescued

**Heart and Soul Chapter 10**

**A/N: Here it is, yet I still own nothing... Special props go to my brother-in-law, and his wife. They acted as my beta-beta readers for the fight scene.**

Edward hadn't been at school since the accident. Bella kept replaying his last words in her head, '_Bye, Bella.' _

'_Surely, he's only home recuperating,' _Bella kept telling herself. She kept remembering his panicked expression while he was tormented by his memories while trapped beneath her truck; the tantalizing energy that sang between them while she cradled his face and talked him down from his attack. She felt guilty for wishing that the contact could have lasted longer.

Bella couldn't help but wonder, though, if he was hiding from her. She had seen the pain he tried to hide every day. She could read it in his soulful eyes. Bella had witnessed something beneath her truck that she was sure that Edward would rather she hadn't seen.

Nearly every one of her classmates had heard the heroic tale of Edward and Bella rescuing one another. For two whole days, Bella couldn't move through the hallways without an entourage following her, and she was certain that there would have been a crowd flocking to Edward as well. Occasionally, one person among the crowd of students would work up the courage to ask her to share her side of the story.

Calling Renee after her near-miss hadn't been a very enjoyable experience. Nearly thirty minutes of tear-filled reassurances.

'_Bella, I thought I had lost you! I didn't think I had to worry about that anymore!'_

It took another half-hour for her to convince her mother that she was perfectly fine and happy where she was, and that Renee didn't need to come to Forks to make sure Bella was settling well.

'_Mom, I swear, I like it here; Charlie's great to live with, and I have a few nice friends at school…I'm sure Phil would miss you Mom… stay with Phil, he needs you too…'_

Then, Bella was subjected to another hour-long interrogation into every embarrassing detail of every conversation and interaction Bella had ever had with Edward.

'_So, this boy…Is he cute, what does he look like? Charlie said he had been rebellious…does he have a leather jacket and a tattoo? Do you like him? Why on earth did you mention Mr. Darcy, or coccyxes for that matter? When have you ever worn a shower cap? Does he have any scars? They say girls are into that sort of thing these days…I think he likes you…Just remember, boys won't buy the cow if the milk's free, and no diamond rings and no babies till you're thirty… '_

Renee had called whenever ice was forecasted since the van incident. Bella cursed satellite television for enabling Renee to monitor the weather in Forks so readily. Luckily, the weather was turning warmer, Renee's reminders to drive carefully slowly tapered off, and the next couple of weeks promised to be scattered with occasional sunny days, which caused the student body of Forks High School to rejoice.

Bella grimaced as she thought of the excursions that Mike Newton had been planning in order to take advantage of the coming spring. Mike had also increased his attentions to Bella in Edward's absence. She kept wishing every day to see Edward at lunch or in biology, in the hopes that Mike would back off. Bella was growing tired of letting him down easy day after day.

However, Bella was never that lucky. She cringed inwardly when she noticed Mike bounding over and falling into step with her.

"Hey, Bella-bo-bella! You going to the dance? You know it's a girl's choice, and I couldn't help but notice you hadn't asked anyone this week," he said.

"Uh, no Mike, I don't plan on going to the dance," Bella said as she crossed her arms and hoped that Mike would just drop it at that.

"Well, I was kind of thinkin' you know…I could go with you…you know…if you wanted…I know you don't know too many guys here yet," Mike said.

Bella sighed and stopped walking; Mike didn't notice at first and had to turn around and backtrack until he stood next to her again.

"Mike, I'm not going to the dance…I'm going out of town that day, and besides, I think Jessica would be disappointed if we went together," Bella explained.

"Why's that?"

"Mike, do I have to spell it out for you? Are you illiterate? Are you telling me that you couldn't read the signals poor Jessica has been broadcasting?"

"Signals? What kind of signals?" Mike asked, still clueless. Bella just stared at Mike in stunned disbelief.

'_How is it, that this boy is so obtuse?' _she thought.

"Mike? Did _Jessica_ ask _you_ to this dance?" Bella asked, knowing full well that it had been Jessica's intention this week. Bella had seen Jessica and Angela gluing candy bars onto a giant poster board for a cheesy invitation to go to the dance just this morning. Mike at least had the decency to look sheepish as he suddenly took interest in the cracks in the sidewalk.

"Mike, she may as well start a fire in the parking lot and send you smoke signals, she was so obvious. Tell her yes. You and I are just not meant to be," Bella said. Then, she turned on her heel and walked as quickly as she could to the parking lot.

She was embarrassed by Mike's cluelessness, and his seemingly never-ending supply of terrible pick-up lines. His advances had only gotten worse since she had been sitting alone in biology. 'S_tupid gorgeous absent lab partner,' _she grumbled to herself as she wrenched open the dented door to her truck and started home with a deafening rumble.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella had only been home for a few minutes when the ancient rotary phone that hung in the kitchen started ringing. Bella furrowed her brow; of course everyone knew the police chief's phone number, but no one would call at the house for him at this hour; everyone in town knew he was at the station until five o'clock.

"Swan residence," she answered tentatively.

"BELLA!!!" squealed two female voices. Bella pulled the phone from her ear and slowly blinked her eyes as the shock of her nearly shattered eardrum settled down. Then she realized that the phone in her hand was still calling her name.

"Hello? This is Bella," she started.

"IT'S JESS!" she heard followed by a much quieter, "and Angela…" in the background.

"MIKE SAID YES!!!" Jess squealed as a loud thud was followed by a scuffling noise.

"Bella?" Angela's voice said after a moment. "Sorry, Jessica dropped the phone…anyways…we're going to Port Angeles this afternoon to look at dresses. I know you've said you're not going to the dance, but would you like to go with us? Help us decide?"

Bella could hear the earnest plea in Angela's voice; even though Bella had really planned on getting ahead with her reading for English, she couldn't refuse the invite.

"Sure…" she agreed.

"Oh, great…Bella, you can tell us which dresses look the best, and which ones make us look fat. We'll pick you up in ten." Jessica had grabbed the phone again.

"Ok, see you soon…" Bella said. She replaced the antique phone, wrote a quick note for Charlie, and carefully went upstairs to get ready for her first girls outing since moving to Forks.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"So, I'm thinking, this eggplant dress makes me look ill…maybe the fuchsia one, but I think Mike won't look at my face in that one…"

Jessica had been trying on every dress in her size, which wasn't very many, considering the lack of options in a town as small as Port Angeles. Bella had weighed-in on each dress in turn, though she was starting to recycle her comments. Angela smiled knowingly at Bella when she heard her tell Jessica "That's very slimming," for the third time since Jessica had started her fashion show.

"Jess, we still need shoes, so you're going to have to pick one soon, or we won't have time to eat," Angela said sensibly.

"Right…shoes…ok, maybe cleavage isn't such a bad thing…where's the fuchsia one!" Jess stormed back into the dressing room and started changing again.

Twenty minutes later, Bella, Angela, and Jessica made their way to Jessica's car where they stowed their garment bags.

"I think the best place for shoes is about three blocks that way," Angela gestured over her shoulder.

"Is there a bookstore around here?" Bella asked. Jessica's mouth hung open slightly, her face clearly showing her disbelief at Bella's desire for a store that sold no shoes, clothes or makeup.

"I think there's one that way…" Angela supplied once more, though now, she was pointing in the opposite direction as previous.

"I'm not really much of a shoe shopper, why don't I just meet you two at the restaurant?" Bella said.

"Ok, that's fine, come on Jess," Angela agreed while grabbing a confused looking Jessica and turning in the opposite direction.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

The bookstore was a bust. New age-fantasy-self-help sold by a former hippie did not interest Bella in the least. Left without a distraction for the next hour, Bella kept walking down the street; she knew the waterfront must be close by, and there would be plenty of tourist traps there to occupy her.

After she walked another block, Bella realized her mistake. This was not the quaint tourist bubble that was advertised on the glossy pamphlets in the Port Angeles Airport. This was the red-headed step child that was peripherally mentioned at family gatherings, but never invited.

Nothing but the bare block walls of warehouses stretched for another block in front of Bella when she heard a metal door scrape open, and four gruff men stumbled out of it.

"Well, well, well sugar," one of the men sneered. "Did you get lost? The docks are no place for a pretty young thing like you," he continued.

"We could help you find your way back to your car, how about it?" the man directly behind the first said.

"No, I'm fine, my boyfriend is coming for me," Bella bluffed, hoping she sounded more convincing to them than she did to herself. She brushed past them and walked as quickly as she dared back in the direction she came hoping to lose these men in a more populated area, but it was nearly twilight, and there weren't any other people nearby.

The slow shuffle of their feet echoed off of the block walls surrounding them, and when she looked back, she realized that there were only two of them still there. Bella relaxed slightly, hoping that perhaps she had misread their intentions. The busy street of shops was just up ahead, she would be there soon, then, she could really relax.

Bella's hopes were crushed however, when she saw the exit onto the street darken when two large shapes blocked her safe escape. It was the two men who had spoken with her back at the warehouse door. They had trapped her.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Edward didn't visit the music store in Port Angeles so much as the larger store in Seattle, but it was better than ordering un-sampled music from the internet. The CDs here were mostly annoying top forty hits that Alice loved to belt at the top of her lungs while she danced around the house; songs that she then used to keep Edward out of her head when she was trying to surprise him.

Edward sighed in frustration at the lack of selection and moved on to the second hand instrument area. Though touching the instruments without assistance was off limits to most customers, Edward had a good rapport with the owner. He was allowed to test whatever instrument he wanted. Today it was a guitar, a recent acquisition by the looks of it; half the strings were missing, and the rest were old and worn.

"You wanna fix that up? I'll let you have it, for your labor," the owner said as he walked up behind Edward. "My wife thought I was crazy when I took in that old hunk of junk; she just doesn't understand how an instrument can sing to your soul…" the older man trailed off.

While Edward peripherally listened to the man mentally reminisce about the sixties, he heard the lascivious thoughts of a group of men break into his mind. These were exactly the type of brutes that he and Emmett had protected Alice from while they lived on the streets in Seattle.

Focusing distastefully on the thoughts of the group, Edward grimaced at their obscene fantasies and gasped when he saw the object of their thoughts in the mind of the leader. _Bella_.

"Hey, kid, you ok?" the owner asked.

"Uh, yeah, I've gotta run, maybe next time," Edward said in a rush as he hurried towards the door. On the sidewalk outside, he paused and closed his eyes, trying to listen and sift through the multiple minds around him.

'_Don't be that way sugar...' _

Edward opened his eyes and ran towards the cacophony of disturbing mental pictures spewing from the men surrounding Bella.

'_What are you doing on that street Bella?!' _Edward thought desperately. He skidded to a halt in front of the walkway where the men had cornered her. They hadn't noticed his approach, focused as they were on Bella.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Edward ran quietly and swiftly towards the men closest to him. He bent low and grabbed the first guy, just as he turned around. Edward drove his shoulder into the man's solar plexus.

The man's breath was forcefully expelled from his lungs in a big whoosh, but Edward kept moving; using the first man to ram the next closest. The two thugs went down in a tangle with Edward on top. The man on the bottom groaned; his head had hit the pavement the same way Edward's had when he had saved Bella the week previous. Edward knew the man was in pain, though he couldn't spare any pity. Before either could react, Edward swiftly lifted their wallets and tucked them into the large pocket of his hoodie.

Edward leapt up quickly, stepping on the hands of both the downed men as he went, leaving them tangled and cursing angrily in their drunkenness. Edward scanned the two men still standing, eyes alert for any sudden movements, his mind on edge as he listened to their thoughts.

"What the…?! You a tough guy?" the third and closest man to Bella said, turning his back to her, though still standing between Edward and Bella. The fourth man took in his tangled companions, Edward's furious face and fighting crouch, and his courage left. He bolted before Edward could lay a hand on him.

Dazed and bruised from Edward's initial charge, the first two men took their friend's example and ran before they could be attacked again.

"Just you and me, eh? Think you can take me?" the man said with bravado drunk from a bottle. He was obviously the ringleader of this motley gang of thugs, and his thoughts were full of his previous misdeeds. Edward was sickened by the very presence of the man.

"Bella, run…" Edward growled without taking his eyes off him.

"No!" Bella croaked in a dry voice.

"Bella! Don't argue!" Edward nearly yelled at her.

"I'm not going to leave you alone with him!" Bella said, more firmly than before. Edward growled in exasperation as he dodged a sudden charge from the man. His thoughts were simple; the level of alcohol coursing through his bloodstream had muddled his head, causing him to act without much previous thought.

'_Lonnie-boy, you are gonna break this boy and then the girl…' _

Hearing 'Lonnie' think of 'breaking' Bella caused a wave of white-hot fury to wash over Edward. He charged the man this time, and caught him in the midsection just as he had the first man, and slammed him into the wall behind them before he lifted his wallet as well.

He grappled with Lonnie for a moment, blocking the man's inept attempts to hit him in the face before the man got a lucky kick to Edward's shin. Edward grunted with the pain of it, stepped back and kicked the man hard in the knee, dropping him to the ground, incapacitated.

"NOW, RUN!" Edward yelled as he grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her along behind him, away from the pitiful man moaning obscenities for all to hear.

Edward ran, dragging Bella behind him for nearly three blocks before he slowed to a stop and leaned over to rest his hands on his knees while he caught his breath.

Without another word, Edward straightened and pulled out his cell phone and dialed the police. Bella gaped in astonishment as Edward described the attack in detail, and the location of the immobile 'Lonnie' so that police could pick him up.

Edward heard Bella gasp again when he pulled three wallets from his pocket and gave the names and information from the driver's licenses. Then Edward gave the dispatcher their location and promised to wait for the police to collect the wallets and he hung up. He closed his eyes, and let out a calming breath.

"Bella…" he began sternly without opening his eyes.

"Edward…" she returned just as firmly.

"What, exactly, were you planning to do? You looked like you were going to fight them…" Edward opened his eyes and turned to face Bella, looking at her beseechingly.

"Well, you did…" Bella huffed.

"That's completely different," Edward started.

"I'm not weak!" Bella insisted.

Edward sighed and clenched his eyes shut again before pinching his nose between his finger and thumb in frustration.

"I apologize…it was not my intention to make you feel weak, but I didn't think such a petite person like you would stand a chance against four large men. Those guys are not the sort to be messed with, even drunk as they were. I was truly frightened for you, Isabella."

"Please, just Bella. Isabella is too stiff…I feel like I'm a socialite straight out of the Victorian era when you say it…" Bella let out a breath, realizing that she was rambling. "Thank you, by the way, that's twice you've saved me."

"I guess that makes us even," Edward said softly. He smiled his crooked grin at Bella's red face. Then he looked down at his shoes. A Port Angeles police cruiser pulled up to the curb and a pair of officers got out and questioned the two of them about the attack. The officers handed each of them a business card and collected the wallets before admonishing the both of them to get home safe and assuring Bella that they would be in touch with her father. Bella groaned, and asked them to let her tell him, as she didn't want to worry him. The officers both nodded and left to file their report. Edward shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket and blew out a big breath before he started speaking again.

"Are you here alone? Have you eaten? Surely, you have to be near shock after an ordeal such as that, some food would do you good…" Edward trailed off at the sudden look of remembrance on Bella's face.

"OH! I was supposed to meet Jessica and Angela at Bella Italia! What time is it? I'm probably late…they're going to be so worried…what time is it?" Bella rambled.

"Er…" Edward pulled his cell phone from his pocket again and checked the time.

"Almost 6:30," he said.

"I'm late! I was supposed to be there an hour ago!"

"Well, I'll take you there…Bella Italia? Come on, my car's just over there," Edward said, gesturing across the street to his parked silver Volvo.

"I don't want to trouble you…I can walk," Bella said.

"Nonsense, look what happened the last time you took a walk by yourself in this city. You're going to devastate the crime rate if I let you go alone," Edward joked smoothly as he pulled Bella towards his car.

"I'm glad my bad luck has amused you," Bella said, more sharply than she intended.

"Bella…" Edward sighed as he opened the door for her. "I just seem to have a knack for offending you…" Edward said sadly. "Let me make it up to you…I'll buy you dinner at the restaurant, and you can tell me all about yourself," he said.

"Edward, I'll let you buy me dinner on three conditions," Bella said.

"What?" Edward asked warily.

"You tell me how you found me tonight, how you got those wallets…" Bella began. Edward relaxed slightly until she continued, "…and you tell me what it was that has left such sadness in your eyes…"

* * *

A/N: My BIL (he's an MP) informed me what usually happens when you shoulder a drunk guy in the gut. I figured the gnarly chunks were best left to Bill and Ted, so we'll assume our thugs have iron stomachs:)

Please let me know what you guys think! I really appreciate the readers who have faithfully reviewed!


	11. Dinner and Conditions

**A/N: I claim nothing except an infatuation with Twilight...**

* * *

Bella watched Edward stiffen as he took in her conditions. They held each other's gaze for a moment that seemed to stretch into forever. Her heart was pounding, though she didn't think that it was from the run they had just finished.

"Alright," Edward agreed with no argument, though the anxiety was clear in his eyes. Bella's arm tingled when Edward reached out and cupped her elbow in order to help her sit in his low vehicle. Bella smiled softly in thanks, and got in without another word. She watched him walk back around the hood of his car; his face was a mask. She knew to look at his eyes though.

Edward said nothing as he got in and started the quiet engine; they drove in comfortable silence to the restaurant, not even turning on the radio. As Edward parked across the street from the quaint Italian eatery, Bella noticed Angela and Jessica standing by the door, talking.

Both of the girls turned at the sound of Edward's car pulling in; their mouths dropped open in surprise when they realized that Edward Cullen had just pulled up with Bella in his car.

"Oh, boy… _No one expects the Spanish Inquisition_," Bella muttered under her breath. Edward chuckled softly, but then frowned slightly at Jessica. Bella couldn't find anything offensive about her, other than the fact that she was blatantly staring at Edward. She made a note to add _Why do you look at people like they've got a window on their foreheads?_ to her list of questions for Edward once they were alone again.

"Bella! We were so worried about you," Angela said earnestly.

"Yeah, we waited like, twenty minutes before we ate, we were so worried!" Jessica agreed, though her eyes never left Edward. Bella noticed him shove his hands in his pockets again before he took extreme interest in the daily specials placard just next to them.

"Earth to Bella," Angela said softly while Jessica giggled behind her hand. Bella blushed when she realized that she had been caught studying Edward rather intently.

_So smitten, _Jessica mouthed behind her hand. Angela smiled knowingly before she said, "So we were just leaving Bella-"

"I'll make sure she gets home safe," Edward interrupted in his velvet voice.

"Ok," Jessica agreed. Bella thought she seemed slightly punch-drunk. Edward continued as though nothing was amiss. "Thank you, ladies, we'll see you tomorrow." Then he gestured for Bella to move ahead of him. She looked up to his face to see him waiting for her reaction. His eyes held a cautious optimism that caused Bella's heart to soar and try to beat straight out of her chest. She smiled her acceptance, and he smiled his crooked grin before moving infinitesimally nearer to her side, as though pulled by a magnet. They were close enough as they walked side-by-side that she could feel the warmth radiating from his arm, and from his hand which briefly brushed against hers tantalizingly.

They paused at the hostess' podium where a blonde college-aged girl sat looking bored. As soon as she caught sight of Edward, however, she straightened her posture, stuck her chest out, flipped her hair, and said in an inappropriately breathy, low voice, "Would you like a table?"

Edward coughed until he was red in the face and then requested a quiet table for two when he could finally manage to pull in enough oxygen. When the hostess winked and tried to lead Edward by a hand on his lower back, he hastily pushed Bella in front of him. Unprepared for the movement, Bella nearly tripped over her feet, which caused Edward to pull her back into his chest to steady her. The hostess snapped her gum with an irritated glance at Bella and waved in the general direction of the dining room.

"This way," she grumbled, stalking off without waiting to make sure they followed.

"Sorry Bella, I just... Ladies first, and all," Edward said awkwardly.

_Her window must not have any glass, _Bella thought as they took their seats and she observed the hostess take in Edward's form hungrily. Edward was squirming in his skin, in serious risk of turning permanently red. Bella cleared her throat expectantly. The hostess handed over their menus, taking extra care to point out certain dishes on Edward's menu with her impeccably manicured nails. She even "let her fingers do the walking" between sections on the menu before she couldn't linger any longer and hurried off to the kitchen. When Bella turned back to face Edward, he was obviously relieved, but was studying her once again with a look of intense concentration.

"Is my window frosted or something?" Bella asked.

"Pardon?" Edward asked confused. Bella blushed, but continued. "That hostess was practically undressing you in her head, and you were acting like you knew exactly what she was thinking; outside, with Jessica, she seemed no different than any other day, and you frowned and walked away like she had asked you to kiss her or something. Like everybody around you has a window on their forehead. Yet you look at me like you can't see anything in my window."

"Is this an additional condition to dinner?" Edward asked, hedging around the question before attempting to answer it. Bella raised her eyebrow in silent confirmation.

"You are remarkably perceptive, Bella," Edward began. He paused when the waitress came to the table with two glasses of water. She had obviously been warned by the hostess. Her hair was freshly brushed, and her lips were drenched in fresh blood-red lipstick.

"Oh! We match! Matching black!" she giggled, pointing out that her form-fitting shirt was the same color as Edward's hoodie. The resemblance ended there, though. Bella fought back an enormous eye-roll. "What'll it be?" the waitress finally asked. She only addressed Edward.

"Bella? Ladies first?" Edward asked, obviously uncomfortable.

"Sure, uh…I'll have the mushroom ravioli," Bella said before handing the waitress her menu while Edward hid his face behind his.

"I'll have the chicken vesuvio," Edward said as he folded the menu reluctantly handed the ogling waitress his only shield. He didn't look at her.

"Let me know if you'd like anything else… We have a wide selection of wines…" the waitress trailed off, though she still looked at Edward hopefully. He merely looked dumbfounded.

"We're seventeen!" Bella said in exasperation.

"How about bottled water then? It's better than the tap, and it's imported. I got sick from the Swiss water once, I recommend French, no bubbles, cold, no ice, no glass, just the bottle and a straw."

Edward gave Bella a desperate look. She couldn't help but think that their waitress couldn't come off any stronger if the woman sat in Edward's lap and fed him his dinner. If the hostess had no glass in her window, this girl had a double-door propped open. Bella took pity on Edward then and pointedly cleared her throat.

Once the waitress took her leave, Bella looked pointedly at Edward. "Continue…"

Edward let out a deep breath and began, "I take it you've heard that I was in a car accident a while back?"

Bella blushed, remembering her interrogation of Charlie. "Yes, I've seen the marker, too," she confirmed.

Edward took another deep breath and started rearranging the sugar packets in the dish on the table. He was silent for a few minutes while he fiddled with the different items in front of him. His eyes seemed to darken with his mood; Bella could see the turmoil in the crease of his brow, in the set of his shoulders.

They were momentarily distracted by the arrival of their dinner. Bella started to pick at hers, still a little hungry, but she was almost too enthralled by Edward's behavior to eat. After another minute of silence, Edward began.

"I was hurt pretty badly… I don't remember much… I know they had to use a defibrillator on me, and I remember a floating feeling…" Edward's eyes were unfocused. Bella realized that she was holding her breath. She had heard that Edward had been hurt in the accident, but she had no idea that he had nearly died.

"I was always fairly good at reading people before the accident. I could just guess what people were thinking like it was written on their face… Carlisle thinks that when I was resuscitated, something just woke up in my brain," Edward laughed nervously.

"What about with me? You always seem so frustrated," Bella asked in a near whisper.

"You are the only person that I've come across who remains completely silent to me. Though you keep surprising me with your perceptiveness; no one outside my family has ever guessed my secret," Edward fell silent once more.

"But, why just me; am I broken or something? Do I have a screw loose in my head? Are my wires crossed?" Bella said it all in a rush. She was aware that she had always been different from everyone else around her, but she had never realized that it was because there was something wrong with her.

Edward's sudden laughter broke her from her frantic assumptions. "What?" she asked him indignantly. Here she was concerned for her physical well-being, and he was laughing.

"Bella, only you would presume to have a defect when someone tells you that none of the voices in their head sound like you," Edward said. Bella looked directly into his eyes and they both laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"How did you find me tonight?" Bella asked. Edward turned serious once again.

"My gift has a fairly wide range, and I was a couple blocks away at a music store when I picked up on those low-life scumbags. I really panicked though, when I focused on them, and I saw you in their heads," Edward admitted.

"Wait, saw me? You get pictures too? Not just words? High school must be hell on earth for you," Bella said in amazement.

"You have no idea," Edward muttered.

"You don't peep into the locker rooms do you?" Bella said, clutching at her shirt front, hoping that he had never seen her scar.

"What? NO! I am not Mike Newton!" Edward said, horrified.

"Mike Newton peeps in the locker rooms?" Bella asked ashen faced. _Is that why he is such a hoverer? Did he see my scar somehow? _ Bella thought disgustedly.

"No, not really… Let's just say Mike has a vivid imagination, and leave it at that," Edward said with a shudder. Bella shivered herself before she locked gazes with Edward again, which caused them to start laughing anew. They felt more lighthearted after that, and began to eat their food more earnestly. Bella was nearly finished with her plate, her mind occupied with what Edward had told her, when she noticed he was concentrating on her.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he whispered without breaking his gaze. Bella blushed, almost afraid to admit what was on her mind.

"Please?" he insisted.

"I was wondering if I should look over my shoulder and keep an eye out for Mulder and Scully…" Bella's blush deepened to include her neck and ears. Edward looked confused. Bella sighed in embarrassment as she realized that she would have to explain.

"Um, Renee, my mom? She's a bit of a free spirit. She went through a phase a few years ago, before she remarried, where she was rather obsessed with the paranormal… and David Duchovny…" Bella laughed, though she saw Edward freeze when she said the name _Duchovny._

"I'm sorry, that was really rude of me, to mock you like that," Bella said awkwardly.

"No, you didn't offend me… Trust me, Emmett has said worse. My friend, Tanya, I'm sure by now you've heard she died in the accident…her surname name was Duchovny," Edward said softly, gathering his napkin from his lap, and leaving it crumpled on top of his plate. Bella understood his unspoken declaration, and waved the waitress over.

"Check, please," Bella said after the waitress attempted to walk seductively to their table, trying in vain to catch Edward's eye. He ignored her blatant passes. Edward insisted that he would cover dinner and the tip. Bella started to protest, but he assured her that he was still working on her conditions, therefore he was paying.

"I wasn't being serious, I can pay for mine," Bella grumbled under her breath. She huffed when Edward shook his head at her with a crooked smirk, then turned and addressed the waitress; fully meeting her eyes for the first time.

"Please charge the whole bill to this card," he said politely. Bella rolled her eyes when the waitress took his card and practically stumbled in her haste to get to the cash register.

"She's probably hyperventilating right now," Bella chided Edward. At his confused expression, she said, "Surely, you can't be as dense as Mike; he at least he has the excuse that he can't read girl's minds. What's your excuse?"

Edward smiled at Bella. "I've heard the things she was thinking in too many shallow heads; as embarrassing as it may be, I guess it's just become meaningless to me," he responded.

Bella blushed, and Edward was distracted by the waitress returning his card. He stood and smiled as he and Bella left the restaurant. The evening had cooled considerably while they had their dinner. Bella shivered in the breeze outside and Edward immediately unzipped his hoodie and draped it around her shoulders before she could protest.

"I've got long sleeves," he explained.

"Thanks, my jacket is in Jessica's car," Bella explained as she pushed her arms through the sleeves. Bella zipped the sweatshirt up as high as it would go and nuzzled into it under the pretense of warming her face. In reality, though, she wanted to smell the delicious scent that permeated the fabric.

"I know you've had guys chasing you from the moment you came to Forks, and this may sound rather juvenile, but…can I hold your hand?" Edward asked with earnest expression.

Bella smiled and grasped his hand in hers, thrilled by the electric tingle coursing between them. She allowed him to guide her out onto the sidewalk, even though she would have refused any other person in the belief that they only pitied her. With Edward, the gesture seemed old-fashioned and gentlemanly. It was romantic, too, if Bella were truly honest with herself, but she attempted to squash those kind of thoughts. Romance wasn't in her cards. It didn't stop her heart from trying to beat straight out of her chest though.

Bella could sense that Edward wasn't ready to drive; she took the lead, pulling on his hand gently to lead him through the sparse tourists that were window shopping along the street. Bella spotted a bench set between two stores and pulled Edward down onto it with her.

"Have you ever talked to anyone else about the accident? You really shouldn't keep things like that inside," Bella said, feeling like the pot that called the kettle black, considering the secret she was keeping.

"Just my family, really; I sort of isolated myself for a long while afterwards. I had a hard time not giving myself away my in the beginning." At Bella's questioning look, Edward explained further. "Answering questions that no one asked out loud and glaring at people who thought stupid stuff. Things like that. I really couldn't handle a lot of people at once until I got things under control. I thought that I would go crazy before I figured out how to focus. Carlisle was great with helping me." Edward stared at his hands in his lap.

"What about Tanya's family?" Bella asked.

"Tanya's mother died a long time ago. After the accident, Tanya was taken to a trauma center in Seattle; her father and sisters followed her there. When Tanya died, they never came back."

"And the other people involved? What about them?" Bella asked sadly.

"Victoria Laurent, she was the passenger in the other car… she sometimes makes a scene when we cross paths in town… She's never really recovered from losing her husband that night; she was always a little crazy though."

"Makes a scene?" Bella asked.

"She usually glares at me, or my family. If she's drunk, she'll yell. She tried to blame me for the accident, but it was her husband that caused it, and the police said she had no case. She tried to sue me and Carlisle and Esme for wrongful death, but the case was thrown out before it even started."

"Was Tanya your girlfriend?" Bella blushed at her forwardness, though she had a burning desire to know exactly who Tanya was, and how she had fit into Edward's life.

"No, though she wanted to be… That's why we were in Port Angeles that night… She organized a 'date' without telling me what it was. I thought we were just hanging out, as usual. Then she said that she loved me and that she wanted to try dating." Edward couldn't believe the things coming out of his mouth; he seemed helpless to stop it, though. "I told her I'd think about it… I mean, she was my best friend… We had to get home… I was driving… It was icy…" Edward paused and took in a shaky breath. "I told her to put on her seatbelt…" he said in a strangled whisper.

"Edward…" Bella could see the strain on his face; the pain in his eyes before he covered his face with his hands and leaned over to rest his elbows on his knees without moving his hands from his face. She wanted to hold him and press her hands to his face like she had done beneath her truck. Bella settled for rubbing circles on his back.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this…" Edward trailed off, his eyes unfocused as he straightened suddenly. He turned to look at Bella, and she froze as his eyes focused on hers.

"I don't know about you, but I feel incredibly close to you; your touch is like nothing I've ever felt. I feel drawn to you like I've never been drawn to another person," Bella said, awestruck at the look of recognition in Edward's eyes. The two of them sat in silence, just holding hands and looking into one another's eyes. Then, Edward's cell phone rang; it seemed as though he didn't hear it.

"Edward? I think your butt is ringing," Bella said, trying to keep a straight face. She smiled hugely when Edward awarded her with a crooked grin as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Hello? Mom… Sorry, I didn't realize it was so late… No, I left the music store a while ago… I ate dinner here. Uh… No. With Bella Swan… Ok, I promise… Love you too, bye." Edward was sheepish when he turned back to Bella.

"That was Esme…" he said.

"Time to go home?" Bella asked.

"Time to go home," Edward confirmed. The two of them stood and made their way to Edward's car. Edward held Bella's hand all the way there, only letting go when he had to shut her door. He couldn't believe the way the evening had gone. He hadn't been sleeping well for the past week, his head had been sore for a few days after the incident in the parking lot, and he'd been in a melancholy funk.

Rescuing Bella from the thugs and their subsequent conversation over dinner and on the bench had really lifted his spirits; she was what he didn't realize was missing. Now, as he drove towards home, with her hand clasped in his, he felt more alive than he ever had.

_Great, now I sound like a giant cliché, _he thought. Their comfortable silence lasted for a couple of miles; then, Bella said, "You know, you didn't answer all my questions…"

Edward stiffened. "What else do you want to know?" he asked.

"How did you get those guys wallets? And for that matter, what on Earth possessed you to take on four guys?" Bella asked, suddenly sounding like the tough girl that she had tried to portray in the alley. Edward scoffed at her mock display of indignation.

"What all have you heard about me? Around town or at school, I mean…" he started.

"Uh… Not much… Mostly stuff about the accident, you know… And Tanya," Bella said.

"That's all?" Edward asked surprised.

"Um, Charlie might have mentioned a spot of rebelliousness?" Bella said it like a question, though it wasn't a question at all.

"Spot of rebelliousness?" Edward laughed. "What is this 1918?" Bella bit her lip and waited in silence. Edward sobered almost immediately.

"I was thirteen… I was upset, and had a typical bout of teenage angst. Tanya was my best and only friend for a long time, and she had to move away for about a year… I ran away." Edward admitted. Bella gasped, shocked.

"I lived on the streets in Seattle by myself for a couple weeks, until I was being harassed by a couple of older boys. I was tall, even then, and they wanted me to join up with them. They had seen me around and they knew that I had a wad of cash. Really, they were just looking to score something…"

Edward looked over to Bella to gauge her reaction, but she sat silently and waited for him to continue.

"I didn't want to get into drugs… Carlisle, being the doctor he is, had really scared me against them. I was trying to get away from the guys, but they had me cornered in a dead-end alley. They had been on the streets a lot longer than I had, and they wanted my money more than they wanted another kid to feed and share their drugs with. They taunted me, said they would just take my money and leave me to fend for myself. All of a sudden, this huge guy and this tiny girl came bursting out of a cardboard lean-to. They came and stood next to me, and the guys harassing me ran off. That's when I met my brother and my sister…" Edward trailed of, a small smile on his face.

"Was it Emmett and Alice?" Bella asked.

"Yes, they took me into their group and taught me how to live on the streets. Lift wallets, what restaurant dumpsters had the freshest food, how to hide from the police patrols… It's not something I'm proud of, but it's how we lived. Emmett taught me how to defend myself, and together, we protected Alice. You think she's small now, you should have seen her then," Edward grinned sardonically. "We got caught about six months after I ran away, right before I turned fourteen. Esme and Carlisle amazingly forgave me for all the worry I had caused them, and they agreed not to separate us. They adopted both of them," Edward said with clear admiration.

"That's how you knew how to fight those guys?"

"Yeah. They were drunk, which makes it easier. Meth heads are harder," Edward said matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry you had to do that…" Bella said sadly.

"Don't," Edward said decisively. "I don't want or need pity… I did it to myself… It was my choice to run away, and I gained the best brother and sister I could have asked for."

Bella was silent for a time. "Why did you run away?"

Edward didn't respond right away, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. "That's a conversation for another time," he said softly.

His eyes automatically searched for and found the white marker on the side of the road; the atmosphere in the car thickened as they drove past it. Edward heard Bella gasp and clutch at her shirt directly over her chest. He looked at her questioningly, only to see a radiant look on her face. She looked amazingly peaceful, yet supremely happy at the same time.

"I'll hold you to that," she said with a grin. Edward smiled softly in response, and turned on the CD in the stereo. Clair De Lune began to filter sweetly through the car, and Edward was astonished when Bella earnestly said, "I love this."

Edward knew that she was speaking about the music, but he could almost feel the 'I love you' behind her meaning. His heart soared at that thought, and the smile on his face remained in place until he pulled up to Bella's house. Both he and Bella froze when they noticed Charlie sitting on the front porch with his arms crossed.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I'm evil... Thanks for reading:)**


	12. Busted

A/N: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer:)

* * *

"Holy crow…Charlie," Bella moaned. She looked over to Edward and saw him swallow heavily.

"You cannot tell him anything about my…gift…Bella," Edward said.

"I won't. You can trust me. Why don't you come meet him? It'll just take a minute," Bella said.

"Ok," Edward agreed, though he looked like a deer caught in headlights. He shook his head and got out to go open Bella's door. She didn't argue, considering Charlie needed to see that Edward was a gentleman.

As soon as she was on her feet, Bella grabbed Edward's hand and tugged him behind her to the steps leading to the front porch. Charlie sat in one of the pair of rocking chairs that occupied the space next to the front door. Bella could see his gun-cleaning supplies; her father's service revolver, freshly cleaned and oiled, was resting on the small card table between the chairs. Charlie's .22 sat next to it in a state of disassembly as he was still in the process of cleaning it.

_That explains the deer in headlights look,_Bella thought ruefully. However, they had done nothing wrong, and she wasn't going to allow Edward to be intimidated by her father when Edward had saved her life earlier in the evening.

"Dad, you know Edward Cullen, right?" Bella asked.

"I'm acquainted," Charlie said dryly, without looking up from his task.

"Sir, I apologize for keeping Bella out late; we ran into each other in Port Angeles, and Bella agreed to accompany me to dinner," Edward interjected without any further prompting. Bella turned to give Edward a wide-eyed look. He had warned her not to give his ability away, yet it seemed be was doing a good job of it himself. She supposed meeting a girl's father while there was a gun in easy reach of said father _was_ rather stressful.

"It's after nine o'clock, Bells. Your note said you were out with Jessica and Angela; there was no mention of Edward," Charlie said, without acknowledging Edward's apology, or his presense for that matter.

"Dad, I did go with Jess and Angela, but we got separated, and then I ran into Edward, it wasn't planned, and I was late to dinner with the girls so Edward took me, and then we just got talking, and didn't notice the time…" Bella defended quickly.

"Well, that's what Jessica told me over the phone. She called here almost an hour ago to see if you'd gotten home yet." Charlie finally turned to Edward, who struggled to remain still under the man's penetrating gaze. "Edward, your mom called after she talked with you and let me know you were on your way home. But, that isn't really why I'm upset. Can you think about anything else that may have happened tonight?"

Bella and Edward looked at each other; Bella's eyes silently questioning Edward about what her father was thinking. Edward gave a slight nod, acknowledging her fears. Bella let out a sigh.

"How did you find out?" Bella asked, defeated. Charlie finally put down the gun cleaning brush and the disassembled barrel before rubbing his hands roughly over his face and letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Bells… One of the guys that tried to attack you tonight lives with his parents here in Forks. _They_ called to say they were sorry about their son's behavior, and then _I _called the chief over in Port Angeles. You're not allowed to go to Port Angeles alone Bells, and I want you home right after school for the next two weeks," Charlie said resignedly. He fixed his eyes on Bella's defiant ones, and it was clear to Edward then that Bella had not inherited her stubborn streak from her mother.

"Wait, you're grounding me?" Bella asked in amazement. "We didn't do anything! We were the ones attacked!" Bella argued.

"Which you weren't going to tell me about, and you're out after nine on a school night," Charlie argued back.

"Ch-Dad… That's not fair!

"Do you need to be grounded longer Bella?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I don't think that's necessary," Bella said quickly. She glanced over at Edward and noticed that he was looking warily at the table holding Charlie's guns. Another glance over at her father and Bella knew that Charlie's thoughts were less than innocent.

"Dad, Edward did rescue me tonight; the least you could do is save the shotgun for the wedding…" Bella's face burned red once she realized what she had said. Edward's mouth dropped open in shock and all of his verbal capabilities were rendered useless as he struggled to comprehend what was going through Chief Swan's thoughts. Charlie looked at Edward as though he were in a lineup.

"Uh... I... We..." Edward couldn't escape the chief's glare.

"No! It was a joke! I didn't mean _our_ wedding! I'm not… I mean… We didn't… Ugh! I'm going to bed, goodnight Edward!" Bella bolted for the front door, colliding with the door-jam as she went through it.

Just before she reached the stairs, she could have sworn that she heard Charlie tell Edward that their doors and windows were kept locked, and that he checked on her every night.

"Yes, sir, I understand, sir. Goodnight," was the last thing she heard before she shut her bedroom door.

After Edward bid Charlie goodnight, he hurried down the steps to his waiting car. Bella's 'shotgun wedding' reference had not really improved his standing with the man; especially since Bella was wearing a hoodie that was obviously Edward's.

As Edward reached the bottom step he heard _Argh, poop on a stick…I have to at least thank the kid…he did save Bella from a fate worse than death… _from Charlie's mind. Edward nearly froze on the spot even while fighting the urge to turn around. He forced himself to keep going forward. It wouldn't be prudent for Edward to respond to Chief Swan's thoughts twice in as many weeks. The man _was_ Bella's father. While Edward was sure of where she got her stubborness from, he wasn't yet sure whether or not Bella had inherited her perceptiveness from Charlie or not. Edward did stop when Chief Swan cleared his throat. He turned around and met Bella's father's steady gaze.

"Thanks, Edward… I appreciate you helping Bella tonight," Charlie said looking down at his feet. "You can come over and hang out with Bella while she's confined to the house," he conceded with difficulty.

Edward's enormous grin, however, caused Chief Swan to alter his terms. "But only when I'm home… Say, between seven and nine," he hurriedly tacked on to his previous statement.

"Thank you, Chief Swan," Edward said earnestly.

"Thanks again… For, uh," Charlie cleared his throat, and Edward watched as he began to study the grain of the wooden boards beneath his feet. "For saving my daughter… I… Appreciate it more than you could know."

Edward knew what Charlie's admission had cost him. What the whole conversation had cost him. His thoughts were unfocused, rambling even. Edward understood that Charlie Swan was a man of few words, and he had seriously overstepped his comfort level.

"You're welc…" Edward began.

"I was serious though," Charlie interrupted. "I check on her…_every_ _night_," he reaffirmed. Edward's eyes widened fractionally at the mental image Charlie was currently conjuring of 'helping' Edward out of the house if ever Charlie caught him in his daughter's bedroom.

"Of course, Chief Swan, I understand," Edward said. Before Charlie could mentally rough him up again, Edward bolted for his car and drove off as quickly as he legally could in front of the chief of police.

Edward turned down the long driveway to his house a few minutes later. He cringed when he picked up on the thoughts going through his family's minds.

_New techniques in emergency suturing are surfacing due to the advent of medical super glues…_Carlisle was reading in his study.

_9:00 AM: Leslie Gerandy, kitchen and bathroom consult…_Esme was reviewing her schedule.

Jasper was sitting in the living room, plucking out a song on his bass guitar.

Edward rolled his eyes and cringed when the mental image of Rosalie looking over her shoulder at a tight new pair of pants was superimposed over his own thoughts, accompanied by, _I wonder…do these make my hips look wider? I better not have gained any weight!_

_Eddie's got a girlfriend, Eddie's got a girlfriend…_Emmett sang mentally while he and Alice were waiting in the kitchen for Edward to enter the house from the garage.

"Emmett…" Edward groaned, wishing his brother could hear him from where he sat. Resigning himself to his fate, he let out a big breath, got out of the car, and started towards the house.

_I want every last detail Edward…_Alice was projecting her thoughts loud and clear. Edward stepped through the garage door and froze when Alice pounced on him. Emmett laughed and gathered the both of them in one of his signature bear hugs. Alice was still jumping up and down, causing both Edward and Emmett to bounce unwillingly with her in order to prevent her from taking them down to the ground.

"Edward! Esme said that you had _DINNER _with _BELLA_!" Alice screamed loud enough for the whole house to hear. Within moments, Esme and Carlisle had joined the bouncing huddle. Jasper followed after, laying a hand on Alice's shoulder. Instantly, Alice ceased her vibrations, for which everyone gave Jasper a grateful look. Rosalie sauntered into the kitchen and took in the huddle with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk.

"Well? Spill! You must have had a nice time with her, Edward, you are _never_ out late!" Alice gushed. "How did you run in to each other? Where did you eat? Did you pay? Did you remember your manners? Oh, I just knew something big was going to happen tonight!"

"Alice… Let him answer one question before you ask another. I'm sure, if we're patient, Edward will answer all of our questions." Esme's tone was such that Edward knew, even without reading her mind, that she was just as thrilled as Alice.

"I…uh…hmm," Edward stumbled over how to begin, without admitting to his adoptive mother that he had fought off four drunk men. The remembrance of those men left a dark cloud in his mind for an instant. His expression must have shown something of his anger; Alice and Emmett started nodding in understanding.

_Like with Alice in Seattle?_was Emmett's simple question. Edward met his brother's eye and nodded. Alice gasped and thought, _How many? Is she ok?_

"Four. Well, three, really. She's fine, not a scratch." Edward explained aloud.

"Stop giving us half the conversation," Rosalie huffed, peeved at being excluded. Edward took in a big breath and continued. "She was being harassed by some guys, and I had to… _Discourage_ them from their attentions," Edward said diplomatically.

"_Some guys_? You mean…four _guys_!" Esme voiced in realization. "Edward, you could have been seriously hurt," Esme continued fearfully.

"I only had to deal with three of them; when the fourth guy saw what I did with the first two, he ran before I even touched him," Edward explained.

"Awesome, man!" Emmett said enthusiastically, bumping fists with Edward.

_Edward_… Carlisle thought reprovingly.

"It was strictly in defense," Edward said truthfully as met his adoptive father's eyes. "I really only incapacitated the last one because he wanted to 'break' me, then Bella."

Edward knew instantly that he shouldn't have admitted that in front of Esme. His adoptive mother gasped, and thought, _Edward, I almost lost you once, I can't do that again…please be more careful!_

Carlisle nodded in approval. _I'm proud of you, son,_he thought. Edward nodded his acceptance to both of his parent's thoughts and spent the next hour telling his family all about his evening with Bella.

"You _gave_ her your _hoodie_? When I borrowed your precious hoodie, you threatened to break my fingers if ever I touched it again!" Emmett said perturbed.

"That's because you smeared pizza grease all over it, _and_ soaked it in three different sodas when you _stole_it." Edward defended himself.

"Yeah, well the Mariners had just won," Emmett said as though that excused everything. Edward rolled his eyes and gave Emmett a brotherly slug in the arm, which he regretted as soon as Emmett returned the favor.

"Boys…" Esme chided them. Emmett and Edward both had the grace to look sheepishly at her and Edward continued his story.

"She knows? You told her?" Rosalie exclaimed when Edward admitted that he had told Bella about his unique ability.

"She guessed on her own… She is remarkably perceptive…" Edward said.

"Well, let's just hope you're not government property before you turn eighteen," Rosalie said vehemently.

"Rose, Bella won't tell," Emmett said.

"How do you know?" Rosalie asked, still not convinced.

"Cause, Alice said she wouldn't." Emmett said confidently. "If there was ever anything Edward and I learned about Alice here, it was…"

"Never bet against Alice!" Edward, Emmett and Alice said in unison. All seven of the blended Cullen/Hale family looked at one another and burst into raucous laughter.

Bella woke up the next morning to the sound of Charlie rummaging around in the kitchen. Once she dressed for the day, she picked her way down the stairs to the kitchen. Charlie raised an eyebrow at her; he must have heard her stumble off the last step. She merely gave her father a look to say '_It was nothing.'_Charlie gave her a small grin and turned back to his mug and newspaper.

"Want something to eat, Dad?" she asked, hoping to show him that she could be a good daughter.

"No thanks, I've eaten already…" Charlie trailed off and met her eyes again. He raised one eyebrow and said, "You can't cook your way out of being grounded Bells."

_Damn…_Bella thought. Her expression must have given away her thoughts because Charlie chuckled into his mug as he drained the last of his morning coffee. She turned away to the counter to hide her disappointment and gathered her daily anti-rejection medications to excuse her movement.

"I'm off to the station," Charlie said as he stood and moved towards the coat rack to put on his gun belt and jacket. "Be home after school Bella; Edward knows he can only be here between seven and nine at night," he said as he walked out the door. Bella wrinkled her nose at that. She hadn't been aware of that particular facet of her grounding yet. She had hoped to invite Edward over to do their homework together.

Hunting through the kitchen cabinets, Bella found a box of cereal and decided to go easy for breakfast. As she munched on her Count Chocula, she laughed at the caricature on the cereal box. _What kind of vampire doesn't even have fangs?_Bella thought mirthfully. Then, Bella imagined a paler Edward wearing the fierce look he'd had when he'd saved her the night before. _If he had told me last night that he were a fangless vampire, I think I would've believed him before I believed the Count here,_she thought, laughing anew. As she chuckled, she heard a soft knock at the door.

"S'open," she shouted around bite she just took.

A moment later, she nearly jumped from her seat when she heard, "You really shouldn't do that…don't you remember what happened to you last night?"

She choked down her half chewed bite and turned around to exclaim, "Edward! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I thought that, since I left my sweatshirt with you, I might give you a ride to school in order to retrieve it, though I think it may have found a new owner," Edward said with a smirk. Bella blushed when she looked down at herself, wearing Edward's sweatshirt as though it was her own.

"Sorry…here, I didn't mean to claim it, it's just so soft, and it smells so good," Bella hurriedly said as she started to unzip the hoodie.

"No, no… Keep it. It looks better on you anyways." Edward reached over and stilled her hand that was tugging on the zipper. Their eyes locked, and they both froze. The air around them seemed electrified, and Bella was certain that Edward's hand was close enough to feel her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. Neither of them seemed capable of breaking their gaze and ending the moment. Finally, Bella's fingers moved from the zipper to fully grasp Edward's hand. He smiled at her and let out a breath that Bella was certain that he'd been holding, finally allowing them to move forward.

"It smells so good?" Edward said with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. Bella's eyes widened as she tried to remember saying that aloud. She had thought it plenty; she had gathered the fabric and held it to her face several times already this morning alone. She sincerely hoped that he couldn't somehow break through her mental silence to discover that she had also worn it to bed.

"Did I say that out loud?" Bella managed once she stopped opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

"Yes; yes you did," Edward said, grinning. Bella closed her eyes until she could feel the heat recede from her cheeks.

"I can't seem to control my mouth in front of you. It smells like warm, fresh honeycomb and lilacs blooming in the hot desert spring," Bella trailed off, remembering the small flower garden that she had kept back in Phoenix, and the almost-honey smell of the beehive that Renee'd had removed from the tree in their back yard. Finally, she opened her eyes to realize Edward was watching her with an intense glint to his eyes. "It smells like home," Bella whispered reverently.

Edward slowly drifted a step closer, so that their bodies were almost touching. "Then it belongs to you now," Edward said just as reverently as Bella had spoken the moment before. He swallowed just before he moistened his lips and leaned his head towards Bella's. He hesitated in an unspoken question. Bella had never been in this position before; at first she wasn't so sure what she was supposed to do. After a moment, she closed her eyes like they did on the cheesy romantic comedies that Renee sobbed over before she met Phil.

Bella waited; she could feel his breath as it ghosted across her lips. His breath even smelled good. Like fresh mint leaves garnishing vanilla ice cream. She knew she wanted this, wanted Edward, for her first kiss. Even with her eyes closed she could feel him moving closer; the electric tingle had intensified into a high voltage current arching between their bodies. His face was close to hers; closer even than when he had been trapped on top of her under her truck. Then…

His phone rang.

Edward could have crushed his phone to pieces and flung the blasted thing straight out the window for all he cared. He had been imagining what it would be like to press his lips against Bella's ever since dinner the previous night.

"I'm sorry… Excuse me," he murmured before he backed up and pulled the offensive little gadget out of his pocket. "Hello?" he answered as he walked into the living room, leaving Bella to finish her cereal.

"_Edward, why did I get the feeling that you were going to be very late for school if I hadn't called right now?"_Alice asked in reply. Edward let out a deep breath.

"Nothing that concerns you," he responded.

"_Ooh, was Edward getting his first kiss?"_Alice asked with a giggle. Edward groaned and waited for it.

"_What? Did I just hear you right? Eddie was getting some action? WHOOOOO!"_

"_Emmett! It's my phone! You can talk to him later! Now put me down, you big lug!"_Alice squealed.

"Nothing happened, your annoying little insight interrupted us," Edward said briskly.

"_Sorry Edward. I'll try to give you at least five minutes next time. I just didn't think Chief Swan would appreciate getting a tardy report for his grounded daughter. Especially if he found out you were involved,"_said Alice. Even though he couldn't read her over the phone, he knew she was genuinely sorry, and that she was only trying to help.

"Thank you, Alice. We'll see you at school," he said. Then he hung up and shoved the phone back into his pocket just as Bella came in and said, "Ready to go?"

They drove to school in comfortable silence. Edward cleared his throat nervously a couple of miles from the school; Bella smiled and gave him a questioning look.

"Bella, I would like to ask you for your exclusive attentions, as mine are exclusively yours," he said.

"My exclusive attentions?" Bella asked with a raised eyebrow and a gentle smirk. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend in an antiquated fashion?"

"Girlfriend seems much too trite a description; however, I thought that it would be a little over the top to declare you my intended, or my soul's eternal mate. You feel like so much more than a girlfriend to me," Edward said honestly.

"I guess my excusive attentions have been yours since I insulted you, _Mr. Darcy_…" Bella said ruefully. Edward gave her a crooked smile that left her speechless. But he grimaced as they got to the school parking lot, and was inundated with the curious and gossipy thoughts directed towards himself and Bella.

_No way, that is so not fair… I'm so much hotter than her…_

_Edward Cullen actually came? With Bella Swan?_

_Are they dating?_

_They're so cute!_

_What's he got that I don't?_

_I'm so glad I have three classes with her… She'll have to tell me everything!_

"That bad, huh?" Bella asked.

"I was expecting it… Why do you think I've been hiding for the last couple weeks?" Edward joked feebly. He parked in a space that was furthest from the crowd and got out to get Bella's door. Then he grimaced again as he helped Bella to stand. "Jessica is determined to get every last detail from you…" Edward let his eyes become unfocused as he listened to Jessica's thoughts. "She'll be your biggest challenge… Everyone else already assumes us to be a couple; she wants to hear it 'straight from the source' or so she thinks." Bella groaned and walked with Edward into the school.

Edward was pleased when, during his third hour, he heard Jessica think, _He asked for her exclusive attentions? Did he ask his grandpa for dating advice or what? _He nearly growled at Jessica's next thought of,_How did she manage that?_

_Wouldn't you like to know,_ was his mental reply.

The first week of Bella's grounding was the worst. At school, Edward and Bella were tentatively getting to know one another better. Edward would walk hand-in-hand with Bella to her classes, and sit with her at lunch. Rosalie scoffed at him for 'ditching' his family, but her thoughts let Edward know that she was just showing her sisterly affection for him the only way she knew how.

Charlie was true to his word, and refused to allow Edward to step over the threshold before seven PM, and promptly ushered him out the door by nine. Charlie had grumbled when he found out that Edward had exploited a loophole in Bella's grounding by providing her transportation to and from school. However, Edward was pleased that Esme smoothed everything over when Charlie called her to complain. Before Charlie had fully understood what was happening, Esme had not only gotten him to agree to Edward's chauffer services, so long as Alice accompanied them, but also to a Cullen/Swan bowling night at Sunset Lanes after Bella was free of her grounding.

The second week Charlie relaxed on his attitude towards Edward without any explanation, though his thoughts did cause Edward to wonder. One evening while Edward was helping Bella with her Trig homework at the dinner table, he and Bella had, without conscious thought, grasped hands on top of the table. Edward was pulled out of his 'Bella bubble,' as Alice called it, when he heard Charlie think, _Be grateful she's alive to have a boyfriend… Be grateful she's alive to have a boyfriend… Be grateful she's alive to have a boyfriend… _before Charlie strode into the living room and surfed the television stations for a game to watch.

Edward was confused until he supposed that Charlie was thinking about the incident in Port Angeles; he tucked the thoughts into the back of his mind and decided to act on Charlie's good mood. He hadn't had a moment alone with her since the first morning he picked her up for school, and he desperately wanted to get back to what Alice had interrupted.

"Bella?" he asked. Edward could hear Charlie's thoughts quieting as he listened-in to the conversation.

"Yeah?" Bella asked, still concentrating on her math homework.

"You're not grounded any more tomorrow, right?" Edward raised his voice to include Charlie.

_What's the little loophole-hunter planning now? _thought Charlie. Edward struggled to keep his face innocent when he heard Charlie's thoughts.

"I was thinking, that we could go out tomorrow…" Edward mentioned casually.

"Not to Port Angeles…" Charlie interjected from the other room. Bella pursed her lips and frowned at Charlie's words.

"No, actually, I wanted to show you something," he said to Bella. He raised his voice again, and continued, "I was hoping that we could go for a hike…" Edward trailed off when he saw Bella's wary face. "It's easy, maybe five miles." Edward reassured her.

_Bella, hiking? That'll be the day,_ Charlie thought before he laughed and said, "Good luck with that."

Edward thought that his plans were a bust; then Charlie had voiced his opinion. The look of indignation on Bella's face was adorable, and made Edward want to jump from his chair and do a victory dance. However, discreet he must be, and he settled for asking her, "So, what do you think?"

"When should I wake up? Are we going early or should I pack a picnic lunch?" Bella asked confidently. Charlie grumbled in his head. Edward smiled.

"I'll be here at nine AM; wear comfortable shoes," he said.

* * *

**A/N:** Before you laugh at Charlie's 'poop on a stick' line, that is something that my mother, a recovering potty-mouth, said *a lot* when I was a child. I can imagine Charlie doing the same kind of editing :)

Sunset Lanes is a real bowling alley in Forks. It is "The only recreation facility in western Clallam County [it] features 8 bowling lanes, 2 pool tables, and other games and activities."

Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

**Heart and Soul Chapter 13**

**I still claim nothing…except perhaps…nah, I'll explain it at the end :D**

Edward knocked on Bella's door promptly at nine AM the next morning. When she answered the door, he took one look and started laughing.

"What?! Do I have something on my face?" Bella asked indignantly.

"No…" Edward paused. "It's just…now I know why Alice insisted I wear these clothes this morning…I swear her intuition is just scary sometimes…"

Once Edward mentioned his clothes, Bella took a good look at what he was wearing…he wasn't wearing anything special, though on him it looked spectacular. '_Maybe it's designer…designer outdoor clothing…' _Bella rolled her eyes at her internal ramblings and then took another look at what she was wearing. Then, she started laughing too.

"We match…" Edward said with a grin. Bella shook her head and walked out onto the porch carrying a backpack, locking the knob as she went. When Edward raised his eyebrow in question, she simply explained, "Lunch."

"Don't you want to say goodbye to your Dad?" Edward asked. He grew worried when Bella just shook her head.

"Don't worry…we're fine; Charlie went fishing this morning. He invited me too, but then I reminded him about our little hike," Bella said smiling. "I think he was hoping I'd forgotten so he could take me out on the boat and hook my worms like I was five again."

"I'm sure you were cute; pigtails and life preservers. What an endearing combination," Edward smirked.

"Shush you. Let's get this show on the road," Bella said before stomping off the porch. "For that, I'm driving…" Bella said over her shoulder. She was at her truck and starting it up before Edward could protest.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Edward directed Bella to the trailhead, making what conversation they could over the thunderous engine along the way. Bella was taken aback by the seemingly limitless trivial questions Edward had. He asked every question as though he were expecting life-altering answers. Bella laughed when he asked, 'Are you cuckoo for CocoPuffs?' in the same manner as 'What kind of music do you like?' all within ten minutes.

Edward argued with her as they got out of her truck; he wanted to carry the pack, she demanded that she would. Edward was unwilling to concede the point until Bella looked into his eyes and said, "Please…"

The hike was easy, for the most part. Bella watched her feet very carefully and only stumbled twice. Both times, Edward was there to catch her; apparently, he was watching her feet carefully as well. They stopped a couple of times to rest and drink some water. Edward pointed out a few things along the way; a small, hidden waterfall, the freshwater spring that supplied it, and a graffiti-covered rock that sat hidden among the sea of ferns. Bella shared what sparse knowledge she had of the surrounding trees that Charlie had taught her when she was very young.

"Why didn't you visit Forks after you turned eight?" Edward asked, surprising her.

"Uh, well… I wasn't much for traveling," Bella hedged. Edward looked at her with his frustrated '_I can't read you, but I know you're hiding something,_' look on his face. Bella quickly asked a loaded question of her own.

"Why did you run away when you were thirteen?" It was Edward's turn to fumble for words.

"You remember that Carlisle and Esme aren't my natural parents?" he finally started. Bella nodded her head.

"I was adopted when I was five…" Edward began. He paused as he climbed over a fallen log resting across the trail. He turned back to help Bella over the log. After she was over, Edward kept her hand in his.

"My parents died when our house burned to the ground," Edward continued. "I didn't really understand what had happened, not for a while anyways. I remember the smell of the smoke and wet ash when the firemen started dousing the burning rubble. They took me to the hospital; that's where I met Carlisle."

"Didn't you have any other family?" Bella asked sadly.

"No…all of my grandparents had passed away before my parents had ever met. They were married late in life, and I was their only child. I have no aunts or uncles, so…" Edward trailed off.

"I'm sorry…" Bella murmured.

Edward shook his head, "You have nothing to be sorry for; it was a long time ago, and Carlisle and Esme are wonderful parents." A thick silence settled between them.

"Where exactly does this trail lead? You said you wanted to show me something," Bella asked to lighten the mood a moment later.

"Well the trail leads to a rather spectacular waterfall, but we're not actually going there," Edward said mysteriously.

"Where _are_ we going then?" Bella asked, playing along.

"It's a place I found a while back, just a few months after the accident actually." Edward admitted.

"Was this on one of the infamous Cullen campouts that Jessica was telling me about a couple weeks ago?" Bella teased. Edward smiled at her.

"Actually, this is something I found by myself. You come to realize when you wake up suddenly hearing every mind within five miles that peace and quiet is rather hard to come by." He admitted ruefully.

"That can't be very enjoyable…" Bella grimaced, and appreciated Charlie's quiet house for an altogether different reason than before.

"It was pretty overwhelming at first," Edward admitted.

"What's it like? Hearing thoughts I mean."

"Well, Emmett thought it was the most awesome thing since sliced salami…" Edward chuckled.

"Uh…isn't the phrase, 'since sliced bread'?" Bella asked with a chuckle.

"Not to Emmett," Edward explained.

"Oh…do I want to know why…"Bella questioned.

"No," Edward interrupted quickly, laughing again.

"What do _you_ think about it?" Bella asked after Edward had fallen silent.

"It's been a blessing…and a curse. Carlisle and Esme learned very quickly that having a mind reader in the house put a big damper in the romance department. No one felt very amorous once they realized I could hear them. I would start pounding a song out on the piano or I would blast my stereo in an attempt to drown out the thoughts that were more embarrassing to overhear. Alice and Rosalie would lock themselves into their room every day, and declared that '_Privacy was needed before any real kisses could be shared._' I thought Jasper and Emmett were going to strangle me after they had three weeks of nothing but a peck on the cheek. Finally, Rosalie yelled at me to stop being such a nosey parker and just stop listening to them. So, I set up a little demonstration."

"A demonstration?" Bella asked curiously.

"I gathered my family and turned on every alarm clock, radio, and television in the house at full volume. I even moved several old radios from the basement and set them up in the same room as my family. Then I set off all the car alarms in the garage. Then I told them all to stop listening without turning anything off. Rosalie never complained after that, and the next day Carlisle brought home a few books on meditation and concentration techniques," Edward explained.

"Wow…I'd say that borders on a curse…" Bella agreed. Edward laughed at her honesty. "How is it a blessing? Other than being able to look into the girl's locker room that is," Bella said slyly.

Edward shook his head ruefully. "It has made school easier…not because I cheat," Edward said quickly when Bella widened her eyes in disbelief. "It just makes it easier to understand what the teachers are trying to teach. You know how some people say, 'I know what I want to say, just not how I want to say it? That's _exactly_ why mindreading can be a blessing," Edward explained. They walked on in comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the forest.

"Tell me about _your_ family," Edward said after a few minutes. Bella laughed.

"Renee is…eccentric…she always said that I was her middle-aged child, and it's true…sometimes I was more of a mother to her than she was to me," she said fondly.

"You miss her," Edward said.

"Yes; she's been my best friend for most of my life. She supported me through a lot…" Bella trailed off.

"Like what?" Edward asked when she didn't say anything further. Bella hesitated, not wanting to answer his question, and hoping her face didn't betray her discomfort.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry into painful subjects," Edward said. He suddenly came to a stop, their joined hands causing Bella to halt as well.

"What?" Bella asked, confused by Edward's actions.

"Here's where we leave the trail," Edward explained releasing her hand to drink some more water. He smiled at her disbelieving expression and gestured to a well-hidden stone marker, which Bella only noticed once Edward drew her attention to it. He left the trail before her, and paused when he realized she wasn't right behind him. Bella looked beyond Edward; further into the trees. The vast sea of ferns swallowed his lower legs. Bella noted with dismay the higher concentration of roots, moss and fallen trees that obscured the ground off of the well-worn trail.

"Don't worry; I won't let you fall," Edward promised in a low voice. Bella smiled at his honest and eager face before resolutely stepping off the path and following him into the forest. She followed Edward in silence for some time, carefully watching her feet and where she had to step next. As such, she hadn't realized that Edward had stopped walking until she had run straight into his back.

"Edward," Bella began, confused.

"We're here," he said in explanation. Bella stepped around Edward to see what exactly they had come to. She gasped in astonishment. Before her stood the most amazing meadow; it was nearly completely circular, as though it was part of a master-planned garden. It was covered in thick, luscious grass and wildly blooming flowers in blue, purple, yellow and white.

"It's beautiful," Bella whispered, stepping into the meadow and realizing for the first time, that the sun was shining beautifully. It was as though this moment was meant to be. She turned around to see Edward still standing in the cover of the trees; watching her in obvious fascination. '_That's better than frustration at any rate,' _Bella thought.

"Come here," Bella asked, waving Edward over with her hands as well as her words. For a moment, his face was anxious, almost afraid. "Please," Bella said, knowing that he could not resist her plea.

Edward took a deep breath; he seemed to be steeling himself for something. With one last look towards the heavens, he stepped out and followed Bella to the center of the meadow.

"What is it?" Bella asked.

"It's just…I've never brought anybody else here…I guess I just want you to like it here…" said Edward as he smiled in obvious relief.

Bella was overwhelmed by the intense emotion suddenly radiating from Edward's face. It was as though his very skin were alight with his joy. She could feel the magnetic draw between them as he moved closer and stopped within a foot of her. He had such a look in his eyes that Bella felt like she was witnessing something amazing; something special. Tenderly, almost timidly, Edward raised his arm and brushed the back of his hand across her cheekbone. His fingers curled as his hand moved towards her ear, where he turned his hand over and then ran the back of his fingers down her throat. He rested his hand on her shoulder and his thumb caressed the side of her neck. Bella could see the jade color of his eyes darken. They were a deep green; nearly the same shade of the evergreen trees surrounding the meadow they stood in.

Bella closed her eyes and felt Edward's other hand cup her cheek; the hand now resting at the nape of her neck moved back up into her hair. Once again, Bella could feel his electric presence magnifying into a high voltage current. Her breath was quick and shallow as she waited for him to relieve her from the torment they had felt ever since the morning they had nearly kissed in her father's kitchen.

Gently, almost tentatively, his lips brushed hers; causing the current to arc into a powerful surge. Quickly, before Bella was ready for it, his lips pulled away. Bella opened her eyes in confusion, her mind clouded by her desire to keep kissing him. She was surprised to see Edward looking at her with an anxious expression, as though he were afraid that he had overstepped his boundaries. Bella raised her eyebrow, and said, "Let's try that again, shall we?"

Edward let out a breath that she hadn't realized he'd been holding and smiled his crooked smile. Bella smiled in return before she pulled them together and kissed his lips firmly, passionately, and with abandon.

It was sometime later that they broke apart; the sun had definitely moved further across the sky.

"That's not exactly the reason that I wanted to bring you out here…but I'm glad you've wanted to do that as much as I have," Edward said breathlessly. Bella laughed and pressed her forehead into Edward's chest, waiting for their breathing and heart rates to settle down.

"How's lunch sound?" Bella asked.

"Wonderful," Edward responded earnestly. Bella wasted no time pulling a thin but sturdy blanket and several containers from the bag she carried. Edward watched in amusement as she got things organized after he had spread the blanket. They spoke animatedly as they ate; Bella told him about her childhood in Phoenix. She even told him about the dance lessons that Renee had drug her to, hoping to instill into her a sense of coordination, or at the very least, balance. Edward told her more about his life before he met her and of happier times with his family.

"Emmett and Alice are really like my brother and sister; it's been a little interesting with Rose and Jasper. They're Esme's sister's kids, so they've never wanted to be officially adopted. I think it's more that they liked their foster siblings too much to make it illegal to date them," Edward laughed.

"That's terrible!" Bella laughed. "They're not even here to defend themselves!" she teased.

"They really are great siblings. Better than any I could have asked for…" Edward paused. "Well, I sort of did ask for Emmett and Alice," Edward laughed again. Bella was suddenly reminded of a question she had thought of earlier.

"I understand how Rosalie developed her fashion sense; but, how did Alice go from a homeless pickpocket, to a fashion clothes horse?" Bella asked. Edward laughed and explained.

"Even when we were on the streets, Alice made sure she was presentable. She would go through the bins at the shelters until she found the best clothes. Not just for her, either; she would torture Emmett and me as well. He and I couldn't really care at the time, I mean we showered maybe once every other week, cleaned up in fast food restrooms, that sort of thing, but Alice…" Edward laughed. "She said it was her duty to know the designer from the knock offs because," Edward paused and raised his voice to imitate his sister, "It wouldn't do to pick the faker's pocket and come up with credit card receipts and gum wrappers instead of cash." Bella smiled at his jovial mood, though she still felt anguished by his lighthearted acceptance of his difficult past.

"You've heard all about me now; what about you? Will you tell me about why you're so close to your mother?" Edward asked, suddenly growing very serious. Bella realized that she could hide things no longer; not when Edward had been so open with her.

"I'm afraid…" she began. Edward's brow creased, and his lips pursed in frustration.

"Are you afraid of…me?" he asked in a tremulous voice.

"No…" Bella said quickly. "I'm afraid of losing you," she said honestly. "I'm afraid that once I tell you, that you won't think of me the same; that you won't want to be with me anymore…" Bella trailed off.

"Nothing could make me stay away from you," Edward said earnestly. Bella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She started, "When I was younger…I was sick…" Bella admitted, recalling the fatigue and breathlessness that she had written off as allergies.

"I collapsed at school in junior high; during gym…"Bella gave a mirthless laugh. "Yet another reason I despise it, apart from my debilitating clumsiness." Edward was riveted by her every word, his eyes growing more anguished as she told him of her diagnosis, the medications that didn't work, the missed school, the pitying looks that she got from all of her classmates.

"But you're fine now, right?" Edward asked desperately, grasping her shoulders and examining her eyes carefully for any sign of illness. "Did they find a medication for you? How did you recover?"

"Well…when I collapsed at school, I was put on the list for a heart transplant. It took a little bit; I was very fortunate…lots of people never get a donor," Bella trailed off, her eyes threatened to overflow with the tears gathered there.

"You had a heart transplant?" Edward asked in amazement.

"Yes…" Bella looked at her hands, unsure of what she would see if she continued to meet Edward's gaze. "I understand if you'd rather not get involved. I know I'm…_damaged_," Bella finally forced out. She had yet to look at Edward since she had admitted her most deeply held secret.

"Bella…" Edward's voice was anguished; he spoke to her in a near whisper. Still, Bella studied her hands in her lap.

"Bella… please…look at me…"

Finally, Bella released all the air in her lungs in one long breath and raised her face to meet his.

"Bella…you are _not_…" Edward broke off with a strangled sound. "You are a miracle, one that I can scarcely begin to deserve. If anything, I'm the damaged one here, not you."

"No, never…you're beautiful," Bella whispered. Edward scoffed at her words and ran both of his hands through his hair. Bella reached out and stilled his hands, grasping both of them in hers and pulling their now joined hands into her lap. "I've got an enormous scar down my chest…and a medicine cabinet full of pills," Bella couldn't help it; her insecurities came tumbling through her tears.

"You're afraid that I'll leave you because…you…have a scar?" Edward asked incredulously. Bella didn't respond. When Edward pulled his hands from hers, she resigned herself to her undoubtedly permanent single status. Edward rose onto his feet and Bella wrapped her arms around her middle and studied the design of the stitching on the blanket.

"Bella, please look at me…"Edward firmly repeated his words from only minutes before. The strength in his voice contrasted greatly with the way he had nearly whispered it previously. Bella was startled; she couldn't resist anymore. She wiped her tears away and raised her head to meet Edward's eyes.

What she saw startled her. Edward had stood up and his long-sleeved shirt was in his hands. Bella's eyes widened as she took in the long scar running down his stomach from just below his sternum to just below his navel. Edward's arms also had a multitude of scars, though they were smaller, more irregular, and scattered. It was as though he had broken a plate glass window with his bare arms. '_Or a car window or a windshield…' _Bella thought as she realized how Edward must have received his scars.

"You are no more damaged than I am, Bella." Edward said assertively. He sank down onto the blanket and moved slowly towards her, his eyes locked on hers as he walked on his knees. The scars traversing his arms and his abdomen stood out more prominently than if he had been indoors; the rarely seen sun gave them more contrast to his bare skin which was pale under the bright light of noon.

Bella held her breath, reaching a timid hand towards his waiting arms. She exhaled quickly when her fingers touched his arm and traced the port wine and silver colored scars. Edward let out his breath as well; Bella hadn't noticed him holding it. Her fingertips tingled with the now familiar electricity that was generated when she touched Edward. His arms turned over beneath her exploring hands. She looked up to see his eyes were closed, his face turned upward as Bella continued to trace every line etched into his skin. Edward flinched slightly when she moved to trace the line on his stomach.

"Sorry…" Bella said as she jerked her hand back from his stomach.

"No…you're fine…I was just so relaxed…it's so easy to be myself when I'm with you…I've never felt so close, so connected with another person. Not even Alice or Emmett has really seen my scars, not since I got out of the hospital," Edward admitted.

Bella was speechless. She couldn't believe the trust she and Edward had for one another; the depth of their connection was surprising to her. They had barely known each other long enough to feel what she thought was love, and yet it was there; growing, binding and unceasing. She could only think of one way to express her overwhelming emotions. To show him what he meant to her. Slowly, with fierce determination, she reached to the buttons on her shirt.

"Bella…" Edward trailed off, though his nervousness was plainly displayed on his face. Bella said nothing; she merely unbuttoned her first three buttons. She wore a camisole beneath her shirt, though it wasn't cut high enough to cover the top four inches of her scar. Edward's eyes brightened in understanding. Hesitantly, he lifted his hand from his lap and traced the line in the center of her chest from its highest point, down to the edge of her camisole. When Edward leaned towards her; Bella expected him to kiss her. She moved to meet him in the middle but she was surprised when he held up his hand, indicating that he wanted her to hold still. Confused, she opened her mouth to ask what he was doing.

"Shh…" Edward whispered as he momentarily pressed his fingers to her lips. He trailed his hand from her mouth and down her neck to finally rest, open-palmed, over the visible portion of her scar. Bella could feel her heart accelerate beneath his warm touch. Edward's crooked grin made her believe he knew exactly why her heart was racing. Bella held still; attempting to lower her heart rate by closing her eyes and breathing deeply. She was slightly disappointed when his hand moved; though not a second later, the feel of his silky-soft hair grazed her chest. Then his ear pressed against her as he gathered her into a hug and listened to her heart beating within her chest. Bella smiled and instantly buried her hands in his hair, enjoying the texture of it as she held Edward to her chest. They sat embraced for an indeterminate amount of time; Bella was startled when Edward finally started speaking.

"The night of the accident, Tanya told me that she loved me…I couldn't understand how she was so sure…how she knew that what she felt was really love. I thought that we were too young to understand those kinds of feelings…I wanted to think about it…" Edward's voice broke as he uttered the last, and Bella wrapped her hands more tightly around him, rubbing small circles into his bare shoulders. After a moment, he moved to sit up. "I'm not going to make that mistake twice," Edward said determined.

"Edward?" Bella questioned, though she was sure she knew what he meant. She had thought it herself as she opened her shirt…her heart…to him.

"I know we're young, but we've both been through things that most people our age would never imagine, even in their nightmares…I know now; I can say it with truth from every fiber of my being Bella. I…love…_you_." Edward enunciated the last three words. Bella blinked; she was shocked to discover that she had tears in her eyes.

"I know…" for a moment, she was too choked up to say anything else. At Edward's incredulous look, she smiled reassuringly. "I understand what you mean…I don't care how old we are…I love you, too." she finished in a whisper.

For a second, they sat frozen, staring at one another, trying to absorb the implications of what they had just declared. Finally, neither of them could tolerate the still silence any longer. Edward leaned forward at the exact moment as Bella; their lips met this time with eager confidence.

Once again, time moved outside their notice. When they finally broke apart, they realized that the sun had moved further west than they had anticipated. Bella remembered that they still had a five mile hike back to Bella's truck. She groaned.

"What?" Edward asked, alarmed.

"Five miles…roots…fallen logs…" Bella mumbled. Edward laughed and Bella scowled at him, causing him to purse his lips together in order to stifle his mirth.

"Don't worry, love; I'll carry you the whole way," Edward said reassuringly as he pulled his shirt over his head. Bella scoffed, but she was grateful for every last mile that she rode on Edward's back.

A/N: So there you have it: the meadow, Bella's confession, and their kiss. We're not done yet, though, keep your hats on.

What I claim ownership of:

"Let's try that again, shall we?" is word for word what my hubby said to me when we kissed for the first time, which happened exactly the way Edward and Bella kiss in this chapter. My hubby is my beta so it tickled him straight to his toes to see it here. Yep…he's my own personal Edward, without the angst ;D

Did any of you catch my homage to Monk? Or the teensy salute to Princess Leia? For anyone still wondering, my x-files reference in chapter six involved the 'gentle breeze cerulean blue' paint that Esme mentions. Moving on…

My friend Gleena is writing The Cold War. It's a cloak-and-dagger style intrigue, with 16 chapters so far. The setting is 20 years after Breaking Dawn; it entails a rather wicked plot that the Volturi is hatching, some great one-liners between Edward and Jacob, great banter, and in-character Cullens. Go read it, and show her some review love! But don't forget to review for Heart and Soul-style first kisses for Edward and Bella, too :) Let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

**Heart and Soul Chapter 14**

**A/N: I still own nothing.**

**Special thanks go to Gleena for reviewing this chapter for me! These first couple paragraphs are for Justine. I hope I made Edward sound teenaged enough:)**

After their day in the meadow, Edward and Bella were nearly inseparable. Edward loved to steal kisses between classes, and hold Bella's hand throughout the lunch hour. He couldn't believe that he had withstood the temptation of her lips for the entire length of her grounding. Two _hours_ seemed longer than was necessary between kisses, and Edward swore never to resist Bella's kisses for two weeks again.

Torturous kiss-less two weeks aside, it was Bella's exemplary behavior while grounded, and another call from Esme, that had convinced Charlie to relax Edward's visiting hours. His only condition was that he had to have one or more of his siblings with him. After school, Alice and Jasper usually stayed with them until Charlie got home; Emmett was willing, though Rosalie was still apprehensive over the new relationship blossoming between her brother and Bella Swan. Every night at nine, though, Charlie escorted them to the door and grimaced as Edward leaned down to kiss her goodnight.

Edward came to the realization during one of his and Bella's evening farewells, that Charlie's thoughts were somewhat patchy at times. He'd always just assumed that the man was as quiet mentally as he was physically. Edward realized with chagrin, however, that Bella's mental silence must be hereditary to some degree. Charlie Swan certainly thought a lot about his baby girl growing up too fast. It was then that Edward came to the realization that 'exemplary behavior' in Charlie's book meant '_no- kiss-n_ _the_ _horm-nal …rebel--ous…randy…bo-'_ during her grounding.

Friday rolled around once again; Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella were sitting around her kitchen table doing their homework when Charlie came home. Edward was sitting next to Bella, his arm draped across the back of her chair as he leaned in to look over her shoulder while she worked on her trig. He was in the process of tucking a loose strand of Bella's hair behind her ear when her father moved towards the kitchen. Charlie's thoughts were rife with unfavorable opinions of teen-aged boys; Edward was sure that Charlie would start cleaning his guns in full view of their study group if he knew that Edward and Bella had kissed one another so passionately, or that they had used the four letter 'L' word in the same sentence as 'I' and 'you.'

'_Territorial devil incarnate,' _Charlie thought rather clearly as he grumbled "Hormonal…teenaged…boys," while he rummaged through the fridge. Edward focused more fully on Charlie's mind and was surprised at the scenarios that were playing out in his thoughts. Edward swallowed heavily and pulled away from Bella fractionally, much to Alice and Jasper's amusement. When she gave him a questioning look, he merely mouthed, _"Later." _As soon as Charlie shuffled into the living room to watch the game, Alice and Jasper lost their composure and started laughing under their breath.

"What's so funny?" Bella whispered to the three siblings.

"Oh, Bella…the tension…he doesn't like Edward, does he? Or is it just the idea of Edward?" Jasper whispered with a grin.

"What?! Of course he does," Bella said. Edward however was shaking his head in the negative. "He remembers Carlisle and Esme's anxiety when I ran away all too clearly. He had to head up the search efforts." Edward debated whether or not to add what Charlie was really worried about. He decided that Bella had a right to know. "He's afraid that I'll do the same to Bella, just like it happened to him…" Edward finished sadly as he turned his pencil over and over in his hands, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes.

"Don't worry, Edward, I know he'll get over it. He's just not ready to lose his daughter," Alice said gently with the conviction that only Alice could feel.

"He likes you just fine," Bella insisted. "He's just not one to say much."

"Bella, if 'territorial devil incarnate' is a term of endearment, then I think I'm safe. Otherwise, I think it's safe to say that your father isn't completely fond of me…" Edward said with a rueful grin. He finally met Bella's unwavering, trusting gaze, and felt his anxiousness fade slightly. Charlie's continual stream of less than loving thoughts regarding his daughter's boyfriend streaming from the living room left him still feeling uneasy.

"Hush, Edward. You know he's just sad to see his little girl all grown up and in love. He'll be putty in my hands; just you wait and see…" Alice said as she jumped up and bounced towards the living room. Jasper sighed in resignation and followed her with a smitten look. Edward looked over at Bella and shrugged; he stood to follow his siblings into the living room with Bella in tow.

"Charlie, we've got some things to discuss," Alice addressed Bella's father with her patented 'I'm-sweeter-than-high-fructose-corn-syrup-on-insulin' voice. The effect was instantaneous. Charlie actually turned off the game, rather than his usual mute, and turned all his attentions to the black-haired pixie perched on the arm of the couch.

"Esme was just this morning wondering when we were going to go bowling! We made an arrangement after all. I'll bet you can strike more than Edward here; he's the best bowler we Cullens have got," Alice said slyly. Edward rolled his eyes at the victorious image suddenly rolling through Charlie's head. He had no idea that there was such a thing as bowling for a bride, real or imagined.

"Well, I think I've got a free night comin' up; today's Friday? I've got to work tomorrow morning, but I'm off by one," Charlie hedged.

"Oh, perfect!" Alice trilled as she clapped her hands. "Bella, you can come over earlier for lunch and really meet Esme. She's been after Edward here to bring you over for a proper introduction all week."

"That's settled then. You kids get your homework done, and we'll head on down to Sunset Lanes tomorrow night."

"Thanks, Charlie!" Alice said. Jasper and Edward sat frozen, their eyes on Alice, their mouths open in amazement. Bella nudged Edward in the ribs and he instantly jumped to life.

"Sounds great; we'd better get going, Esme wanted us all home for dinner tonight," Edward explained as he tugged on Bella's hand so that he could say goodbye in private.

"Bye, Charlie," Alice chirped while Jasper gave a nod, which Charlie returned.

Edward stood next to his Volvo and gave Bella a rare un-witnessed, by Charlie at any rate, kiss good bye as Alice and Jasper climbed in and got buckled. Bella jumped and Edward groaned when Jasper honked the horn and laughed. Edward gave a glare over his shoulder in the general direction of his siblings, and turned back to Bella once more.

"I'll come by and pick you up in the morning; Esme really does want to meet you properly," Edward murmured as he pressed his forehead to hers and kissed her one last time.

"Goodnight, Bella."

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

True to his word, Edward arrived the next morning, eager to take Bella home to meet his family officially. She met him at the door looking green.

"Bella, are you alright?! Are you not feeling well?" Edward asked nervously.

"I'm fine, Edward," Bella insisted.

"You don't look fine," Edward said. At Bella's scowl, he amended his statement. "I mean, you don't look like you feel well...you always look more than fine, you're beautiful, Bella."

"But what if your family hates me? I know Rosalie doesn't like me very much; what about your mother? What if she thinks that I'm not good enough for you?" Bella rambled as she paced the short entry foyer.

"Bella…" Edward grabbed her by the shoulders and held her still in front of him. "My mother already loves you; because I love you…you don't know the change that you've brought out of me these last couple of months."

"Surely you weren't that bad," Bella insisted.

"Truly, you have become my life; my reason for _living_ instead of just _existing_, Bella."

"Would you tell me why you really ran away then?" Bella asked.

"Didn't I?" Edward asked.

"You said you were adopted after your parents died…then you distracted me, and conveniently haven't finished the story," Bella said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh…Let's get in the car first."

"I'll hold you to that," Bella said as she pushed him out the door and locked it behind them. Edward opened the door for her; before she had her seatbelt fastened, he was in the car and starting the engine. Edward was gripping the steering wheel, trying to order his thoughts when Bella spoke.

"I'm listening…I'm not afraid of what you may tell me…"

Edward released his breath and started. "You remember my parents died because of a fire?" He glanced quickly over at Bella and caught her nod in the affirmative. "In junior high, Tanya's family's visas expired. They had to leave the United States for a while. Tanya had been my best friend, the person that I told everything…" Edward trailed off; he realized that the pain was still there, as it may always be, but it was different now. He found that he could focus beyond it, whereas before, he was lost in the haze. He realized that Bella was his focal point, his confidante. Edward knew now what love was, his heart swelled with it whenever Bella came into his mind, or into his presence.

"Edward?" Bella asked tenderly.

"I'm ok…" Edward was surprised by the truth of his words. "I just realized; _you_ are the person I tell everything now, my best friend, my life." Edward paused for a moment then began. "Before, when Tanya had to move away, I was lost. I felt angry, abandoned and alone. Of course, then I felt guilty because Carlisle and Esme have always been such wonderful parents to me. It was just me then; none of my brothers or sisters had come to our family at that point. Esme tried so hard to be there for me, and support me, but I was very stubborn.

"I wallowed in my loneliness, even though it was my own doing. I just wouldn't let anyone else in. Then, when I was in junior high, there was a house that burned to the ground very close to the school. I was only five when my house in Chicago burned to the ground. I didn't remember very much about what had happened. I had forgotten a lot, and repressed the rest. But…when I smelled that smoky, wet ash, and saw the charred remains of the house, it all came back. It wasn't all at once though. It came in bits and pieces in nightmares over the course of a few weeks. I'd dream flashes of memories; waking up in my bed and finding smoke, feeling the heat, my father breaking my window and lowering me down as far as he could before he dropped me onto the ground, " Edward paused, and swallowed.

"My mother, screaming for my father, kissing my forehead one last time…I would wake up screaming, and there was nothing that Esme or Carlisle said or did that made it go away. Carlisle offered to prescribe me sleeping pills, but I knew that the pharmacist and his assistants were gossips. I was already a social pariah because I was adopted. So, angsty _'misunderstood'_ thirteen-year-old that I was, I decided to save Carlisle and Esme and myself the trouble of trying to work on my problems. I packed a bag and hitch-hiked to Seattle and…you know the rest."

"Thank you…" Bella murmured. Edward sighed heavily and glanced at her again.

"Are you crying?" he asked timidly.

"They aren't sad tears…" Bella assured him.

"Well, they don't look happy, if that's what you mean," Edward said, confused. Bella laughed, easing the tension in the car.

"We're here" said Edward as pulled into the long driveway and smiled at Bella.

"Uh…where's the house?" Bella asked. Edward laughed.

"It's pretty isolated…yet another thing that I'm grateful to Carlisle and Esme for," Edward said, touching his temple in explanation.

"Oh…that makes sense…" Bella agreed. After another moment of silence, the large white house came into view, and Edward heard Bella gasp.

"Esme loves to restore things," he said. Edward pulled to a stop right in front of the house. "We won't include the garage on this first visit," Edward explained. "Esme does like things to be done properly," he added.

"I guess," Bella said. Edward laughed again. "Am I dressed ok? I suddenly feel underdressed…like I'm going to meet the Queen of England, and all I've got is a burlap sack."

"Bella, you're fine, Esme already loves you, you don't have anything to worry about," Edward assured her once again as he led her over to the massive front door. Bella's face burned as she fidgeted with her clothes and her hair. Edward grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him and into the house.

"We're here!" Edward called.

'_In the kitchen!'_ Esme thought back. Edward smiled at the thoughts swarming through his sibling's minds.

'_Uniform slices…why is pot roast so hard to slice…well that's bigger than the others…I'll just eat that…no need to ruin Esme's display. You didn't hear that Edward…' _Why Esme put Emmett in charge of slicing the meat, Edward would never know. He wondered how many other slices had been _sacrificed_ to preserve the display.

'_I know you like Bella, Edward…I'm trying…you know I have trust issues…' _Rosalie thought.

'_Nothing to worry about…lunch is going to be perfect…I wonder if there'll be enough time to check out that new boutique before we bowl…'_

'_Salad dressing…Where would Esme put the salad dressing? Alice would know…Alice….hmm…'_

"Edward? Hey, what's the matter?" Bella's voice pulled him back from his family's thoughts.

"Nothing, why would you think something was the matter?" He asked confusedly.

"Well the fact that you look like you've just stepped in a steaming pile and you're reciting the alphabet backwards…in Spanish…" Bella explained.

"Oh…well, Jasper was thinking about Alice, that's all," Edward said with a rueful look. Bella blushed in understanding, which made Edward laugh again as he pulled Bella into the kitchen. He cleared his throat and everyone in the kitchen stopped and instantly turned to look at him and Bella.

"Esme…mom, I'd like to introduce you to Bella Swan," Edward said very formally. Esme smiled at him and thought, '_Edward, she's perfect…but you don't have to be so stiff…she's bound to think I'm as starchy as these potatoes…' _Esme emphasized her thought by allowing the spoon she was stirring with to stand vertically in the thick bowl-full of mashed potatoes as she caught his eye.

"Bella, I'm glad to finally meet you," Esme said genuinely. Carlisle moved to his wife's side and put an arm around her shoulders.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, especially outside of the hospital," Carlisle added.

"I'm glad to meet you; Edward has told me all about you," Bella said with a blush.

"Hey Bella!" Emmett called from the kitchen island. Edward grimaced when his brother waved at them with the enormous butchers' knife that he was using to carve the meat in front of him.

'_Sorry…that was a little Emmett the ripper, wasn't it,' _Emmett said with an unapologetic grin. Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Lunch will be ready soon; Edward, how about a little concert?" said Esme.

"A concert? Oh…you play piano…you mentioned that. Are you any good?" Bella asked curiously. Everyone in the kitchen stared at her open-mouthed. "What?" she asked.

"Edward!" Esme exclaimed in shock.

"You always say not to brag!" Edward retorted indignantly.

"Well, there's a time and place for everything, now get in there and play something for your sweetheart!" Esme said sternly, though she was smiling. Bella turned bright red when Esme mentioned that Bella was his sweetheart, which caused Edward to grin at her.

'_GO! Play!' _Esme thought.

"Alright, alright!" Edward conceded with raised hands. He reached out and grabbed Bella and pulled her with him into the living room where his black baby grand sat on its platform.

"What will you perform maestro?" Bella teased. Edward raised his eyebrows at her and sat at the piano bench with an exaggerated air.

"For you, my lady, a concert of distinguished pomposity…" Edward began.

"Distinguished pomposity?" Bella laughed.

"Correct…" Edward raised his hands dramatically over the keys and began the most embellished rendition of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' that anyone was sure to have ever played. He played the melody slow and poignantly with his right hand, while he played an accompaniment of rolling chords with his left. He closed his eyes and swayed with the dips and swells of the chords, really acting the part. He looked up to see Bella open-mouthed and astonished. Edward grinned at her.

"EDWARD!" a chorus of voices bellowed from the kitchen. Edward smiled smugly; he knew his family was pressed against the kitchen door trying to listen to his and Bella's conversation while he played.

'_Edward! Play something nice for her!' _Esme chided him mentally.

'_That was awesome, bro…I'd like to see you do that at a concert,'_ Emmett was chortling.

'_Point taken, son, I'll try and keep the masses occupied,' _thought Carlisle.

'_How immature.' _Edward rolled his eyes at Rosalie's thoughts.

'_That was really impressive…Edward made a joke…' _Jasper mused internally. Then he directed a thought at Edward. 'S_he really is good for you,'_ he marveled.

'_I saw that coming a mile away, Edward. You're so predictable, brother,' _Alice teased.

Edward shook his head and laughed. "Do you have any requests? No show tunes, please," Edward grimaced; he still kept the rolling chords going, even though he had abandoned the melody. Bella just shook her head.

"I'm so amazed, and impressed. I feel more than a little insignificant…' she admitted. Edward scoffed, and then seamlessly transitioned to Esme's Favorite.

'_Thank you, Edward,' _Esme thought from the kitchen.

"That's beautiful, but I don't recognize it, and I can't identify any signature style indicative of Debussy or Mother Goose," Bella teased. "I'm sure your knowledge of music far exceeds mine; can you give me a hint? Maybe I can guess," said Bella.

"Hmm…perhaps I _can_ help you guess…" Edward said playfully.

"Ok. It doesn't quite sound _old…_ but it doesn't quite sound modern like say, a movie score…I need a hint, Edward."

Edward laughed…"I just can't tease you anymore…this is _Esme's Favorite_," he admitted softly, emphasizing the title for Bella. Her brow furrowed; Edward could see she was thinking, putting the pieces together.

"_You wrote this?"_ Bella whispered in amazement.

"Well, don't sound so surprised," Edward teased. Then, he grew serious, and he transitioned the music again. The complex yet soothing melody that he had begun composing after he had met Bella filled the room. He heard Bella gasp, and it inspired another element to the song. As he blended the pieces together, he knew what name he would give the song.

"This is _Bella's Lullaby…" _again, he emphasized the title. He studied the keys beneath his fingers while he waited for Bella's reaction. When she said nothing, Edward nearly stopped playing; then, he could feel her approach from behind him. Her hands grasped both of his shoulders and he tensed when he felt a warm tear drop fall on the back of his neck.

"Bella?" he questioned. Her reply was a tender kiss placed upon the spot where her tear had fallen, and her arms around his shoulders.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Thank you for lunch, Mrs. Cullen," Bella said.

"Please, call me Esme. You're more than welcome to come over whenever you like," Esme replied. Emmett came bounding into the room wearing a customized 'Rosie's Monkey Man' bowling shirt.

"Let's go bowling!" Emmett yelled. He tossed Edward and Bella a bundle of fabric before passing several more out to his family.

"I thought we could go in style!" Emmett continued, oblivious to the disbelieving looks plastered across everyone's face.

"Thanks Emmett, this will really keep the family in the spirit," Carlisle said diplomatically, holding up the shirt that said, '_Doctor Dad'_. Esme laughed at the elegant script that said 'Carlisle's Queen' and held it up for size. Rosalie came gracefully down the stairs, already wearing her shirt. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she turned as though on the catwalk to show the 'Rosie the Grease Monkey' printed across her shoulders. There was a graphic of the World War Two recruitment poster of Rosie the Riveter silk screened below her name.

Bella read what was printed across the back of her shirt and blushed. 'Edward's Little Swan' in bold black letters was printed across the back. Bella took a look at the shirt in Edward's hands, and nearly laughed aloud at the look on his face. 'Bella's Little Cullen' was printed in the same bold script across the back of his shirt.

"Emmett? Little Cullen?" Edward asked in an exasperated voice.

"Yeah…I mean you're the youngest…it just makes sense…" Emmett said matter-of-factly.

"Thanks, Emmett!" Alice crowed, showing off the 'Jasper's Pixie' emblazoned across her back. Jasper smiled as he turned around to show that his shirt merely read, 'ALICE'S' in large, bold caps.

"You didn't think the word 'little' applied there?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow as he gestured towards Alice.

"Edward, come on, that would just be redundant…I thought you were the smart one?" Emmett replied.

"Ok, come on, in the cars, we've got a lane waiting for us at the alley," Carlisle intervened.

Thirty minutes later, they were all tying their rented shoes, wearing their custom shirts when Charlie joined them. Bella thought that he looked rather out of place in his standard flannel shirt. Her eyes widened though when Emmett pulled out yet another shirt. She was almost afraid to see what Emmett had put on her father's shirt. Bella relaxed when she realized that it simply read 'THE CHIEF' in black and white letters.

"Thanks, uh, Emmett, right?" Charlie said casually. Bella could tell that he was pleased with the gift. She turned to Edward, asking with her eyes.

"Yes, he likes it very much," Edward confirmed in a whisper. "He's considering coming bowling more often." Edward smiled at Bella, which she returned.

Bella watched her father over the course of the evening; Esme worked her magic, and Carlisle's bedside manner extended to the bowling alley as well. Charlie seemed to be enjoying the night out with Edward's family more than Bella had ever seen her father enjoy any social gathering. Bella and Charlie were on opposite teams; yet he didn't seem to mind, and even joined in on the casual ribbing that was flowing between the two teams. He had warmed up to Edward fractionally, even giving a brief round of applause when Edward bowled a strike. Emmett had become her father's new best friend, trading sports stats and creating their own dream teams for baseball and football.

Bella was sitting next to Edward a few minutes later. Their shoulders touched, and their hands were clasped as they were laughing together at Emmett's over-the-top bowling wind-up, when a dark, unfamiliar laugh broke into their conversation. Bella looked over her shoulder to see a thin, haggard-looking woman with stringy red hair, and dark circles beneath her eyes. Her clothes were shabby and mismatched, leaving Bella with the impression that this woman had dressed in the dark, several days previous. The woman was holding a pool cue in one hand and a beer in the other.

"Fancy seeing you here," the rough voice said. "Edward's Little Swan; isn't that just sweet."

Bella could feel Edward tensing next to her. His fists clenched and he ground his teeth so hard that Bella thought he might break them. She looked to Edward for an explanation, when the woman waved to her with the brown bottle in her hand.

"You must be Edward's new little friend; still got your heart? Edward's last little friend seems to have lost hers…" Edward shuddered and pressed his face into his hands. Edward's siblings came to surround him; the looks on their faces caused Bella to shiver. Esme and Carlisle pushed through their children to stand beside Edward in support.

"Ms. Laurent," Carlisle started.

"Please…" Victoria said snidely. "I just came over to give you this…apparently the post office is having trouble keeping our PO boxes separate again." With that, she pulled a crumpled, folded white envelope from her back pocket and tossed it towards Edward. She took another swig from the bottle in her hand and looked at Bella condescendingly. "Careful sweetie, don't want to end up with a broken heart…"

"Victoria, are you going to keep disturbing the peace here?" Charlie stood with his hands on his hips. Even out of uniform, Bella could tell that her father was very much a police officer. The ragged woman's face hardened slightly as she took in Charlie's stance.

"No, Chief Swan…I was just passing on some mail…" She turned on her heel, stormed back to the pool table and threw down the cue before she left the bowling alley.

"Edward?" Bella questioned. She and all of the Cullens and Charlie waited for Edward to explain what the envelope contained. Bella could just make out _Mr. Edward Cullen_ neatly printed above a local post office box. The return address was another PO Box in Seattle, though Bella recognized the name printed in clear letters above; _Duchovny. _This was a letter from Tanya's family, and it had already been opened.

"She read it…" Edward whispered. "It's from Kate, Tanya's sister," he explained as he scanned the letter in his hands. "Apparently they just recently got a thank you letter from the Organ Donor Liaison, and they sent me a copy, because they knew how close I was with Tanya."

'_No…It can't be…it's just a coincidence…it's not her…it's not me…please tell me it's not what I think. Thank goodness Edward can't hear my thoughts…' _Bella looked down at her hands resting in her lap, not wanting to see the letter that would confirm her fears.

"That's right," Emmett mused. "I had forgotten that they donated Tanya's organs. It's nice to know that it helped someone live."

'_Please let it be someone else's letter…' _Bella thought. Edward reached back inside the wrinkled envelope and pulled out the copy of the thank you the Duchovny family had sent to Edward. Bella clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to see the evidence of what she suspected.

"Bella?" Edward's voice was strained. She had hand-written her thank you note, and Edward was very familiar with her handwriting. Without opening her eyes, Bella knew that he was near panic. He was drawing in huge, gasping breaths, causing his family to crowd around the both of them. Finally, Bella opened her eyes, and turned to Edward. She met Edward's gaze with tear-filled eyes. She closed her eyes again bracing herself to answer Edward. Without looking at the paper he held in his hands, she knew what was causing his anxiety.

Bella had Tanya Duchovny's heart.

Again, she locked her eyes on Edward's and gave a slight nod. Edward returned the nod stiffly and dropped both papers onto the floor without a second glance. He sat frozen next to her, like a marble statue carved into the bench they shared.

Bella could feel the traitor tears streaming down her face, clouding her vision and clogging her sinuses. Carlisle tried to comfort her, but she was nearly inconsolable. Esme pleaded with Edward to tell her what was wrong. Edward's brothers and sisters were huddled around them. Alice was crying softly as well, though Bella was sure that no one else had figured out what Edward had. They had told no one else about her heart transplant. Charlie stooped down to the floor, likely for something to do, Bella thought, and picked up the discarded papers.

"_Anonymous donor family,_" Charlie read from the Xeroxed letter. "_I imagine this letter may be difficult to receive, but I couldn't go without expressing my deepest thanks for allowing me a second chance at life by donating your loved-one's heart…" _Charlie trailed off, his voice becoming suddenly hoarse.

"Bells?" Charlie questioned her softly. "This looks an awful lot like your handwriting…" Her father's question was more statement of fact than anything. Bella couldn't speak, so she nodded her head. Edward groaned and leaned his elbows onto his knees and covered his face with his hands. Carlisle, Esme, and Alice gasped as they realized what Charlie and Bella were saying.

"What?" Emmett demanded.

"Bella has Edward's friend Tanya's heart," Charlie gruffly said. "Bella had a heart transplant, a little over a year ago, and apparently, Tanya was the donor." He set the crumpled papers next to Edward, who looked at them with glassy eyes.

Bella began to sob in earnest. "Why? Why did this happen? You don't deserve this…" she murmured softly towards Edward. "Dad? I want to go home," she whispered.

"Sure Bells, let's go right now," said Charlie. He pulled her to her feet and led her out the door and away from the Cullen's disbelieving faces.

"I've got to go," Edward mumbled as he gathered up the papers beside him and then he too left.

* * *

**A/N: We're closing in on the end here, just one more chapter, and maybe an epilogue:) I hope you readers are enjoying the story, and will enjoy the next chapter as well. I'm so stoked, I feel like Alice:)**

**Now, before you get all fired up, Edward's not mad. Confused, yes. But not mad. He could care less that Bella needed the transplant, he's grateful for it, but he's basically just heard that someone he loves is alive, and he is able to love them, because someone **_**else **_**he loved had to die in order for her to live.**

**Granted the death has already happened, but think of it like a super-hero scenario- Tanya is in front of a run-away bus...Bella is dangling over a precarious ledge...he loves them both, but he's only fast enough for one. Who does he save? He obviously only has one choice, as Tanya is already gone, but his acceptance of the situation is almost like deciding to save one over the other.**

**There is a link to pictures of their bowling shirts on my profile:)**

**Random DVD trivia- Ever read the sign over Bella's shoulder as she and Charlie exit the ER? The bottom listing is for a SLEEP DISORDER CENTER. In a small town hospital, serving 3000 people. I laughed about that, then I watched the commentaries, and they were joking about it too. Think Carlisle steps into the SDC every now and again, just for kicks? Must be all the rain...keeps me awake when ever it rains in my neck of the woods:)**

**Again, I want to thank Gleena for reviewing these last two chapters for me:) She asked for more angst, and I obliged:) If you haven't read her story The Cold War, go do that! What do you think? Love the angst? Dying for the next chapter? Me too...;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Heart and Soul Chapter 15**

**A/N: I don't own twilight, but I do own pick-pocket runaway Edward:) Thanks for reviewing Gleena:) Thanks to everyone who has left reviews for this story!**

Edward drove around Forks and the surrounding area aimlessly for hours, unsure of how to handle the information thrust into his face this afternoon. His phone had vibrated several times; every time he saw the _'Home'_ flash across the screen, he felt guilty for worrying Esme. Finally, he texted Alice with a simple, '_I'm fine.' _

Without realizing it, Edward found himself on the highway, driving towards Port Angeles. The white marker standing to the side of the road seemed to call to him. Edward pulled his car onto the shoulder and got out to go to the marker. It was close to dawn, but he left his headlights on in order to see where he was going. The flowers that he had left the last time were long gone, washed away by the wind and rain. He knelt down and ran his fingers over the letters spelling Tanya's name vertically down the marker. Dust and mud had splattered it, partially obscuring the bottom two letters.

With the mud cleared, Edward sat on the ground and thought about his friend. He remembered what he had told Bella only that morning. '_Tanya had been my best friend, the person that I told everything…_'

The sky was starting to lighten, and Edward got up to turn off his headlights. As he straightened up out of the passenger side door after turning off his lights, the first rays of sunlight began to shine. He looked back at the marker; it was glowing in the bright light of dawn. Edward remembered the time he and Bella drove past the spot where the marker memorialized Tanya. He recalled the way Bella's face glowed and the way she had clutched at her chest…right over her heart.

Edward shook his head in amazement. Acting on a whim, Edward decided to walk down the hill to the tree that he had hit in the accident. After slipping on the steep wet slope a few times, Edward finally made it to the bottom. He studied the trees in front of him, trying to find the right one, but he found that he couldn't anymore. The first few times he had visited the marker to leave flowers, he could look down from the road and easily pick out the scarred and moss-less trunk from all the other green-coated trees surrounding it. At the time, he felt it was fitting that he was like the tree; scarred and separate from everyone else. Now, the scarred tree was healed, and surrounded by others.

Edward shook his head and looked up, smiling, towards the heavens. "Is this your last piece of wisdom?" he shouted. He almost expected to feel her slug him in the arm, just like she always had. Then he thought about the reason he was so much better than he had been, and he recalled the words he had spoken to Bella.

"_Truly, you have become my life; my reason for __**living**__ instead of just __**existing**__, Bella."_

Edward turned and ran as fast as he could towards his car, slipping and sliding on the wet ground as he clambered up the hill. He finally got in his car and sped towards Forks, knowing what he had to do. His mind was racing as he pulled up to Bella's home, conscious of the fact that it was barely an hour past dawn. He grabbed the crumpled letters sitting on the passenger seat as he pulled to a stop and jumped out of his car.

"Bella? Bella! It's me, Edward! Chief Swan?!" Edward cried while he pounded on the door of the simple two story home with his fist. His other hand clutched the Xeroxed copy of the sweet, genuine, loving and beautiful letter of thanks that could have been written by none other than his angel, Bella.

Her rusted hulk of a truck sat imposing and unmoving in the driveway, taunting Edward with its closeness, while its driver was so far from him. Charlie's cruiser was missing; that wasn't altogether unusual, he was the chief of police, but Edward was hoping to find someone at the Swan residence after Bella had so suddenly left Sunset Lanes after Charlie had read the letter aloud.

"Please, I need to see you; I need to talk to you," Edward whispered the last, and pressed his forehead to the door in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut in concentration; he couldn't hear Bella's father's thoughts in the house, though he admittedly didn't always catch everything that the Chief thought. His mind was nearly as quiet as his daughter's. He closed his eyes and started to expand his mental focus, hoping to find Charlie in the vicinity. He was so focused that he didn't hear the sound of an engine coming to a stop on the driveway behind him.

"She's not here," came the gruff voice of the man that Edward was so desperately trying to listen for. Edward spun around on the porch to see Bella's father standing next to his police cruiser with his hands deep in his pockets. He was looking at the ground, his shoulders hunched as though he was very sad.

'_I sure am gonna miss her…'_ broke through the intermittent silence from Chief Swan's mind, causing Edward to flinch.

"Where is she?" Edward asked as he stepped off the porch and came to a stop in front of Charlie. "I need to talk to her," he continued.

"Well…she thought a little space would be best, considering…" Charlie trailed off, finally looking up to meet Edward's worried eyes.

"Space? What does that mean? Where did she go? I need to see her!" Edward was not hysterical, but he was close.

"I told her she was being silly…" Charlie took off his hat and turned it over and over in his hands. "She didn't want to 'hurt you anymore'" Charlie said using air quotes around his hat. "She just boarded a flight in SeaTac Airport about oh…" Charlie glanced at his watch, "Thirty minutes ago. She wouldn't let me wait with her."

Edward's mind was reeling; Bella had left the state. '_She left me…for…me. Silly, absurd, selfless Bella,'_ he thought.

"Chief Swan…I know that we haven't always seen eye to eye; I know that you don't like me very much, and that you're afraid that I'll run away at the first sign of trouble. I know that you don't think that I'm good enough for your daughter," Edward let out a mirthless laugh, and then continued, "I _know_ I'm not good enough for her… but she makes me feel alive again. You know that my accident left me a changed person, and that I was not in a very good place for a long time; but Bella made me live again. I may have loved Tanya, but the fact is, she is gone, and my heart aches for Bella, not Tanya. Please, tell me; where did she go?" Edward looked at Charlie with pleading eyes, desperate for him to ease his heartache. Charlie looked at Edward for a few seconds in torturous silence, his eyes never leaving Edward's.

"Phoenix…She went home to Phoenix," he said quietly. "Her mother is going to take a flight from Jacksonville and meet her there tomorrow."

"Phoenix?" Edward said, his mind already running full speed. "Is it a non-stop flight?" he asked Charlie.

Charlie looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened in understanding. "Uh, no…she has a layover in Denver." Charlie smiled for the first time since he had dropped Bella off in Seattle.

"I think if you fly non-stop to Phoenix, you should be able to just beat her there…" Charlie said. Edward smiled at Charlie and nearly laughed in relief at his understanding.

"Thank you Chief Swan. I'm going after her, and I'm going to do my best to bring her home," Edward promised.

"You're welcome, Edward. I guess you're not half bad," Charlie said sheepishly. Edward however, could hear what he was thinking, '_Bring my baby girl home and you deserve her.'_

"I won't let you down," Edward said, grabbing Chief Swan in an unexpected 'man hug' complete with a couple of slaps on the back. Edward stepped away, shrugging unrepentantly at Charlie's flabbergasted face, and ran without a second look to his Volvo. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his house while he drove. After two rings, Carlisle picked up with, "Edward?"

"It's me. Dad, I need a plane ticket to Phoenix, the first flight available. I'm driving to Seattle right now," Edward said without preamble.

"What?! What do you mean you need a ticket to Phoenix? What about asking for permission? What are you planning on telling your mother? You need to come home; your mother deserves an apology. She's been in tears all night worrying about where you were. She was afraid that you had run away again, and you want me to tell her you're headed to Seat…" Carlisle was interrupted by a popping sound on the line; someone had picked up an extension.

"Who else is on now?" Edward asked, not wanting to say something offensive to his mother, or make her think that he was running away again.

"It's me," trilled the bell like tones of Alice's voice. "Don't worry Edward, come home first, I've got a flight booked for you and Carlisle and it takes off in three and a half hours. Dad, you had better get moving, if you're going to go with Edward," Alice said with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Alice, I can't just leave, I've not given the hospital any warning, I…" Carlisle argued before Alice interrupted him.

"Dad, relax, I had a feeling Bella was going to Phoenix, so I've already worked everything out; you're taking a 'much needed time out with your son' and Mom is packing both your bags as we speak," Alice had pulled out her trump card; Carlisle wouldn't question the plan if Esme was involved.

"Well…I guess that's settled then. Edward, I'll meet you here at the house," Carlisle said before he hung up his extension.

"Don't worry Edward; you'll find her, and you'll sweep her off her feet and bring her home," Alice said before she too hung up, breaking the connection. Edward closed his phone and smiled.

'_Home…I'm bringing her home,'_ he thought.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella sat on the plane, nervously fidgeting with her seat belt while she waited during her layover. She didn't mind flying, but she wished that the man sitting next to her would have gotten off here in Denver. He looked as though he was suffering from a mid-life crisis, and it wasn't going so well. He had been droning on and on since Seattle about the 'turn around' his life had taken, and how well he thought he was going to like Phoenix.

"…transplant! The doc said I could run, and hike, and swim…anything with it! " he said enthusiastically.

Bella had zoned back onto his voice when she heard the word 'transplant.' She felt slightly guilty for not having been listening to this poor man who was moving for a fresh start, much as she had with her own transplant experience. Bella idly wondered what he had suffered from that required a transplant, and unconsciously put a hand to her chest to make sure her own transplant scar was not evident.

"Here, give a tug!" Bella's seat partner said, leaning his head in towards her. Bella cringed back instinctively as she realized that he hadn't suffered anything other than male pattern baldness, and he was offering his head so that she could 'give a tug' to his newly acquired hair.

"Oh, I don't want to hurt you," Bella tried to be nice as she refused to touch his hair.

"You won't hurt me! Come on, give a tug!" The man said as he offered his head again, his eyes trained on his own lap as he leaned into Bella's personal space.

'_He's worse than Mike Newton!"_ Bella thought, and her heart ached at the reminder of her home in Forks, even a reminder as annoying as Mike Newton.

"Come on!" said the insistent man. Bella was getting frustrated now; he wasn't taking no for an answer. Charlie had always told her to make sure a man knows what she means when she says no; a mischievous grin worthy of Alice stole across her lips before she grimaced at both the second reminder of Edward in as many minutes, and at the man's greasy head. Bella grabbed a tuft on his head and yanked, quickly and _hard._

"OOUUCCHH!" the annoying man said, cringing back with a hand to his head as he winced and gingerly touched the top of his head.

"I guess it was a little tender still…" he trailed of as Bella apologized. "I think I need to use the restroom; excuse me," he said as he left his seat and ran to the tiny restroom on the plane with his hand to his head. Bella smirked and turned to the window next to her.

"Is this seat taken?" an older gentleman said with a thick Italian accent. Bella turned around, startled. "Oh, no, I guess not anymore," she admitted as she glanced forward and saw the hair-man settling in next to his next unfortunate seat partner several rows ahead of her.

"Grazie, giovane signora," the elderly man said as he eased himself down into his seat. "I am Antonio Mastroianni, but you may call me Anthony," he said warmly, his hazel eyes twinkling as he looked at Bella, inviting her to introduce herself with his warm expression.

"Hello, Anthony," Bella began, though she tried to keep her eyes from tearing up. _'Anthony is Edward's middle name…' _thought Bella. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and gave Anthony a small smile. "I am Isabella Swan, but you may call me Bella," she said as she mimicked Anthony's formal speech.

"Ha, ha! She is as funny as she is beautiful," Anthony said. "One as beautiful as you deserves the name 'Bella.'

"Such flattery! Have you always been such a charmer?" Bella said, her crimson face betraying her embarrassment.

"Not always; as I'm sure you were not always so sad. Tell me what troubles your heart," he asked sincerely.

Bella let out a big breath and said, "It's a long story…"

"Well, how fortunate that we are sitting down…it will make your heart lighter," he said softly.

Bella let out a deep sigh, and started, "It began when I was 13, and I was put on the list for a heart transplant…" and so Bella told Anthony her story.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Dad…Dad…Carlisle!" Edward took his father's shoulder and shook him awake.

"Are we there? Did we land?" Carlisle asked groggily, straightening in his seat and blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"We're in Phoenix; we just landed at Sky Harbor. We've got to run across the airport. We're taxiing over to terminal two at the moment, but Bella came in on a different airline. Her flight lands in terminal four, which is on the complete opposite side of the airport," Edward rushed to get everything out in one breath. Once he finished, he took a deep breath and looked at Carlisle's surprised expression.

"How do you know all that?" Carlisle asked, bewildered.

"When we were delayed by the hail storm in Seattle, Alice spoke to Charlie and got all Bella's flight information and looked up a map of the airport online and then she texted all the details to me. I got a dozen different messages from her once I turned on my phone; Bella's flight information, Bella's mother's address in Scottsdale in case we miss her, and even the name of a ballet studio near Bella's home for a familiar landmark, should we need to take a cab. I'll bet Alice's thumbs are likely to fall off," Edward said ruefully.

"Don't tell Emmett, he's likely to take that bet," Carlisle chuckled. They felt the plane roll to a stop and the whine of the engines gradually died out allowing their ears to pop and recover from the constant noise. Edward however, could not believe the _mental_ noise here. He had not traveled to a city larger than Port Angeles since before the accident. Seattle had been difficult, but Phoenix was nearly traumatic for the number of minds within his range of mental reception. Edward pinched his nose in concentration, prompting Carlisle to ask, "Are you handling this ok?" Edward merely grunted in the affirmative.

"_Welcome to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. Don't forget your carry on items, and please exit in an orderly manner. For those passengers who boarded in Washington, don't forget the sunscreen_," the pilot said with a chuckle over the intercom.

"Let's go," Edward said as he stood up and grabbed his bag from overhead. He handed Carlisle's bag to him and strode quickly towards the exit as his father followed close behind.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Mamma mia," Anthony uttered in disbelief.

"Si" Bella agreed quietly.

"Mamma mia," Anthony repeated.

"Si" Bella agreed again, as tears streamed unheeded from her eyes, and her chest ached.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

"Do you see her?" Edward asked desperately.

"No, Edward, you have to remember, this is spring break for most colleges; this is also a huge airport. Her flight landed 20 minutes ago. She probably didn't check luggage, she left in a rush just like us. Most likely, she went straight to the curb and hailed a cab," Carlisle surmised logically.

"Bella!" Edward yelled, hoping that Bella was somehow here, out of sight.

"Bella? Do you by chance mean Isabella? Il vostro amore? Are you her Edward?" asked a kind looking elderly man with a thick Italian accent. Edward grasped the man's shoulders eagerly, "You know her? Have you seen her? Where is she?" Edward was relieved to see a mental image of Bella surface to the front of the elderly man's thoughts, but he quickly became agitated and even more anxious to find her when the man remembered Bella's tears.

"Pace! calmi giù! Peace! Calm down, young man! She said she was going home, to her mama. You are a good man to come after her. Treat her well, and don't let her go," he said as he smiled and patted Edward's cheek and walked away.

"We've got to get a cab," Edward said as he ran out the doors, and grabbed a hideous lime green cab just as the previous passenger climbed out and rushed into the airport. Carlisle slid in right behind Edward and shut the door.

"Where to?" asked the driver as he leaned over the seat to look at his new fares.

"I've got the address right here in my phone…"Edward said as he opened his phone, only to realize that the battery was gone; completely dead. Edward growled in frustration, "It's in Scottsdale, near a dance studio," Edward said and rattled off the name of the studio as soon as he remembered it.

"You're in luck! I know that place; I took a fare there just last week!" said the driver. He continued to talk, glancing every so often at Edward and Carlisle in the rearview mirror.

"Call Alice on your phone, we'll get the address from her again," said Edward. He fidgeted the whole ride, unable to focus on anything except getting to Bella.

"Here's your dance studio, any luck on the address?" asked the cab driver.

"Dad? Did you get a hold of Alice?" Edward said, focusing once more on Carlisle's chagrined face.

"Sorry, just voicemail; No answer at Chief Swan's either," said Carlisle.

"We'll get out here. We can wait here for someone to answer, this is supposed to be walking distance to Bella's house," Edward said with confidence.

"Ok, Edward," Carlisle agreed as he handed some cash over to the driver as he slid out the door after Edward.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Bella hadn't been at Renee's house for very long before she couldn't handle the quiet any longer. Renee wasn't due to come until tomorrow, and Bella could attest that curling into a ball and crying would not pass the time any faster. She decided to go for a walk to get out of the silent house. She locked the door behind her and started down the street, with no real destination in mind. After five minutes, she remembered why she didn't walk around in Phoenix as much as she had in Forks. It was April, and it was 85 degrees. She wouldn't have balked at that temperature last April, but considering she had just come from cold, rainy Forks, she wasn't prepared for the heat in Phoenix anymore.

'_I need a drink of water,'_ she thought, just as she caught the familiar shape of her old ballet studio looming in front of her. Bella remembered the water cooler that was in the front lobby of the dance studio, and decided to step in for a paper cone of water before she turned back to Renee's house.

As soon as Bella got in the front doors, her heart began to pound. '_Why am I so nervous? It's not like I'm breaking the law here,' _she thought. A class was just getting out; a dozen teenage girls carrying huge duffel bags swarmed around her before she could surrender her position next to the water.

'_Why do dancers need to carry bags of such ridiculous dimensions? Do they have enormous tutus and elephants to wear them? Alice could put half her closet in one of these bags!_' Bella thought as she was jostled by at least three girls not paying attention to where their hulking bags were going as they turned. She raised her arms up next to her face to push her way through the crowd when she heard him.

"Can I use your phone?" he asked in his polite, velvet voice.

"Edward?" Bella whispered as she turned towards the sound of his voice.

"Bella?" he asked in relieved wonderment.

Edward Cullen stood not ten feet away, leaning against the counter, oblivious to the receptionist who numbly held the phone out to him with a dazzled expression on her face. Carlisle stood next to him, a huge smile on his face as he pushed the phone back to the receptionist and murmured, "We won't need that anymore, thanks."

Edward rushed as quickly as he could across the offending space between them and swept Bella up into his arms, crushing her to his chest in obvious relief. The studio and all the gawking dancers melted away as Edward leaned down and claimed Bella's lips in a kiss. They both poured themselves into the kiss; it was a hundred goodbyes, and a thousand hellos. Edward pulled back to look into her stunned face, his eyebrows pulling together in a now familiar expression of frustration.

"Please, Bella, tell me what you are thinking," Edward said in a near whisper.

"You came all the way to Phoenix for me," Bella whispered back, tears of joyful relief pooling in her eyes. "More than four million people live in the Phoenix Metro area; you must be going crazy. Or you're going to need a big shot of morphine for the migraine you're going to have," Bella teased.

"When the plane landed I honestly thought I would go crazy from the chaos. But what made it even worse was the thought that I wouldn't make it to you. I would listen to a million people every day if it meant I could be with you, Bella. I told Charlie that while I may have loved Tanya, my heart aches for you. Now that you're here in front of me, my heart, _my soul_, sings for you Bella. You are my life now. Please come home with me. I cannot live without you," Edward said earnestly.

"Yes. Please, take me home. I didn't want to cause you any more pain. I thought you wouldn't want to be reminded of her every time you saw me. I thought that I could handle it; but it hurt, more than I thought that it ever would. Tanya's heart may have given me life, but I didn't truly live until I fell in love with you. I love you, Edward," Bella said as tears streamed down her face. Edward smiled and brushed her tears away with his thumbs as he cradled her face between his hands.

"I love you, too, Bella," Edward whispered again before he claimed her lips once more, the both of them still unaware of the audience they had in tears around them. Carlisle cleared his throat, getting their attention once the receptionist started passing a box of tissues around. Carlisle gave Edward a meaningful look and thought, _'We really ought to go to Bella's house and organize our flight home.'_

Edward blinked slowly to show his father he had heard and gently pulled Bella towards the door. "Let's go home," he said. Bella smiled, and lead the way to Renee's house, so that they could indeed go home.

* * *

A/N: Here it is folks! I hope you were all satisfied by their reunion, and that you have your toothbrush on hand to help with the sugary fluffiness. I have loved writing this story, and reading all the wonderful reviews you've all given throughout the whole ride. I may put up an Epilogue in the future:)

Random DVD Trivia: Did you know that the subtitles during the Ballet scene are wrong? Bella (Kristen Stewart) says, I think very clearly, "My *hand* is burning" but the subtitle says, "My *head* is burning" To which I have got to ask, why would the subtitle writers think her _head_ was burning, when clearly, it was her hand/wrist that was bitten? :D

Stay tuned in the next few weeks, I've got more stories crammed into my head that are just begging to be written. Thanks for all the support!


	16. Epilogue

**Heart and Soul Epilogue**

**A/N: Thanks go to Gleena for reviewing and for contributing a few lines of delightful dialogue between the ladies. Thanks also go to Justine Lark for reviewing this as well:)**

**Three years later**

**April 12, 2008**

"Bella, if you don't stop fidgeting, I'm going to poke you in the eye with this mascara brush," Alice said in a menacingly sweet voice. The insistent little pixie had holed them up in a suite in Seattle's nicest hotel in order to get ready for the wedding that afternoon in the ballroom downstairs. Bella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett had all moved to Seattle after graduating from high school to attend the University of Washington.

Edward had initially wanted to apply to Dartmouth, pre-med, but the astronomical cost of Ivy League tuition and (more to the point) Bella's geographic location had convinced him that UW was his preferred choice. Emmett and Jasper were both attending UW majoring in engineering and psychology respectively. The two had shared an apartment until Alice, Edward and Bella had finished high school.

Alice and Jasper married a few weeks after graduation, and Edward moved into Emmett's apartment after Jasper moved out. Bella was majoring in literature and had wanted to experience college life; she had shared a dorm with Angela Weber for the two years they had been at UW. Rosalie had pledged to a sorority and had been living in the sorority house on the UW campus

"I told you I didn't need so much make-up. Edward likes me just fine without it," Bella grumbled in response.

"Bella, this is an important day, you want to look your best," Rosalie insisted. "Besides, with a dress like this, you simply have to be made up." With that, Rosalie pulled the flowing dress from the garment bag and helped Bella into it before doing the same with Alice. Bella turned to inspect herself in the mirror while Rose zipped Alice into her dress. Alice, as a fashion major, had designed all the clothes for the wedding party; she already had some designs catch the eye of some investors interested in starting a new line of clothes.

"Ok, Rose, let's get you in your dress!" Alice squealed as she bounced on her feet. Alice rushed to the hook on the back of the hotel room door and pulled out the largest garment bag yet.

"It's my dress; I'm getting married…oh…my…" Rosalie started fanning her face with both hands, trying to stave off the tears that were threatening. Rosalie and Emmett had been engaged for two and a half years; he had surprised her with a ring just after Alice and Jasper had married in an elegant ceremony in the garden of Carlisle and Esme's house. They had been planning this day non-stop ever since.

"Rosalie! You love Emmett, and this has been in the works forever! Think of Europe! You're going there on your honeymoon, and you're going to love it! " Alice said firmly, smiling at Rosalie. A soft knock sounded on the door.

"Girls? I've got the flowers, and they are gorgeous," Esme said as she entered. She took a look at Rosalie's eyes and rushed to hug her niece.

"It's ok, Rosalie," Esme murmured. "It's your wedding day, and you love Emmett. You'll be happy."

"But Alice wasn't crying when she and Jasper got married…that was almost two whole years ago, and she's a year younger than me! I should be ready for this! What if Emmett realizes tomorrow that he doesn't want a grease monkey for a wife after all?" Rosalie whimpered.

"Well, then we'd hunt him down like the bear he thinks he is, and we'd make a bear rug out of him," Bella insisted. "Besides, Edward told me last night that Emmett's every thought while they were out involved you in some form, Rose. Edward actually said that he's grateful that you're not going to start your honeymoon in this hotel tonight, considering how far his range extends with Emmett these days," Bella finished, red-faced. Rose nodded wide-eyed before shuddering at the thought of Edward hearing her and Emmett's wedding night. Alice and Esme laughed.

"When did you see Edward last night?" Alice asked suspiciously.

"Oh, uh, I mean…he told me…this morning," Bella fumbled, turning ever-more red. Alice searched Bella's face with a look that Bella knew all too well. Quickly Bella tucked her left hand behind her back, trying to hide the jewelry that now rested on her finger there.

"What are you hiding your left hand for, Miss Swan? Or should I say Mrs. Soon-to-be-Cullen?" Alice asked with an all-knowing glare as she raised an eyebrow.

Bella just stood blushing furiously, head down, arm hidden behind her, when Alice took it upon herself to pull Bella's hand out for everyone to inspect.

"Oh, he used his grandmother's wedding ring to propose!" said Esme with a sigh. "It's one of the few things he has of his family; it had been in his parent's safe deposit box at the time of the fire. How did he propose?"

"Where were you? When did he pop the question?" begged Alice.

"Well," stammered Bella. "I—"

"Why do you have a wedding band as well? Was it already soldered on?" Alice asked suspiciously.

"Spit out the gory details, Isabella Marie Swan!" demanded Rosalie, momentarily distracted from her own worries.

"Masen Cullen actually," Bella said sheepishly. "I dropped Swan, and took both his names, so we're both Masen Cullen, no hyphen, but we're just using Cullen," she rambled.

"WHAT?!" Esme, Alice and Rosalie all exclaimed.

"Well, you see, Edward asked me to marry him…" Bella began.

"We understand that; but when did Edward ever propose?!" Rosalie screeched.

"Uh, well…_when-Alice-and-Jasper-got-married," _Bella said in a rush.

"You mean to tell me that you and Edward have been secretly engaged for nearly TWO YEARS?! How did I not know?!" Alice squealed.

"NO! I mean, not exactly…I told him no, at first," Bella explained. "But only because I didn't want to be a teenaged statistic!" Bella hurried to explain when Esme, Alice, and Rose all gaped at her in shock.

"Well, when you know, you know…why wait because of age?" Alice asked.

"You told him no? Who knew you had such guts?" Rosalie said unrepentantly.

"Well, Renee and Charlie would have flipped if I got married straight out of high school. I told Edward that I wanted to be at least twenty," Bella explained.

"So how does that amount to a secret elopement and keeping all your family in the dark?" Alice pouted.

"I didn't want a big wedding, and Edward was fine with that. The day I turned twenty, Edward asked Charlie for his blessing. Charlie stormed around and pouted for a couple of days, but when he called Renee to complain about it, she told him to get over it and give his blessing already. My dad offered to pay us the cost of the wedding and reception if we just eloped, or we could have the big ceremony. It was our choice, and, well, with the rising costs of tuition... Med school isn't cheap!" Bella defended herself and Edward. "So, I guess we were engaged for about seven months…we just got married April tenth," Bella said with a smile.

Esme was teary-eyed, but her smile showed her true feelings. Alice was looking somewhat mollified, though Bella cringed at the thought of what sort of party Alice was planning behind that accepting expression.

"How did you guys share a room last night? Wasn't Edward supposed to be sharing with Emmett?" Alice asked shrewdly. Bella blushed again.

"Actually, we have Rose to thank for that," she explained. At Rose's confused look, Bella continued, "Rose wanted her own room, and Alice was with Jasper, and Esme was with Carlisle, so, that gave me my own room too. Edward just came to my, well, _our_ room after Emmett passed out for the night.

Rosalie just looked dumbfounded.

"Why did you get married two days before my wedding? Why couldn't you have eloped months ago?" Rosalie asked, near tears once more. Before Bella could respond, a soft knock interrupted them.

"Bella? Can I come in?" Edward asked through the door. Bella instantly jumped up and ran to open the door.

"He'd better not have Emmett with him! He can't see me yet!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Relax, Rose, Emmett is down the hall with his head between his knees…" Edward was smirking as Bella opened the door and pulled him into the room. Alice charged at Edward and jumped on him, regardless of the fact that she was wearing a floor-length, crimson bridesmaid's dress. She tackled him in a tangle of satin, lace, and heels.

"How…could…you…elope…with…out…telling…me..!" Alice accentuated every word with a smack to Edward's chest.

"Alice! Get off my husband! I've only had him for two days!" Bella turned red again when everyone turned and gaped at her. The moment was broken, however when Edward started laughing a deep, resonating laugh. It wasn't long before his adoptive mother and sisters joined him, and then Bella was laughing herself.

"Oh, Bella…the look…on your…face!" Alice forced out between bursts of laughter. Rosalie quieted and her face settled into a pout. Esme pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back.

"Oh, Rose," Esme murmured.

"I couldn't help but _overhear_ your conversation," Edward began, his face sheepish.

"Only you could get away with saying that from three doors down the hall," Alice chuckled.

"Regardless, we didn't get married two days ago to upstage your wedding Rosalie," Edward insisted.

"Why didn't you get married seven months ago? Why now, right when I'm getting married?" Rosalie huffed.

"April 10, 2005, Rose, don't you remember what happened three years ago?" Edward said exasperated. Bella was smiling a glorious smile. She was sure that she would burst with her love for her husband.

"Awwwwww," Alice and Esme cooed together. Edward smiled at them before reaching over and capturing Bella's hand in his.

"April 2005; that's when you went to Phoe… oh!" Rose exclaimed.

"That was the day he brought me home," Bella said softly as she gazed into Edward's eyes.

**HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS**

Edward couldn't keep his eyes off of Bella as Emmett and Rosalie said their vows. She stood beside Alice during the ceremony, fidgeting in her formal wear as the Officiant expounded on the joys of marriage. Edward could only smile as he remembered how he and Bella had discovered one of the joys of marriage together. He hadn't realized how deep into his memories he had drifted until he was jerked out of them by Alice.

'_Edward; they'll need the rings soon! If you don't stop drooling over Bella and get your head straight, Rosalie is going to make sure that you never have reason smile like that again!' _his sister shouted mentally.

He hoped that his face wasn't red, but he was grateful that Alice had had the foresight to discreetly nudge him mentally. He gave her a slight incline of his head and straightened a bit more to acknowledge her. Perhaps he would have to find a way to thank her for ensuring that he didn't look like a fool when the ceremony called for the rings. Sure enough, just as Edward reached into his inner jacket pocket, Emmett turned to him and held out his hand expectantly.

'_You had better not have lost them, Edward, cause Rosie will skin you if you did,' _Emmett thought. Edward merely raised his eyebrow and produced the two rings from his pocket, tied together with a ribbon that matched the crimson of the bridesmaid's dresses. Once he handed them off though, he looked over and caught Bella's eye. His wife's smug look told him that Alice must have told her about his mental wanderings during the ceremony. The blazing look on Bella's face gave him hope that they wouldn't stay at the reception all night.

He was so entranced by his beautiful wife that he was uncharacteristically startled by the applause that broke out as Emmett wrapped Rosalie in his arms and kissed her soundly. Suddenly the recessional was playing and he moved to meet Bella at the head of the aisle as they followed Emmett and Rosalie from the altar.

"If you keep staring at me like that, we won't make it to dessert," Bella murmured from the corner of her mouth.

"I can't help it, that dress is positively sinful. What was Alice thinking? The bridesmaid isn't supposed to outshine the bride…" he said with a kiss to the back of her hand which he clasped within his own.

"Only you would be so blind so as to be distracted by me when Rosalie is dressed the way she is," Bella teased him. "Anyone notice our new jewelry? Or is Rosalie as distracting as I imagined?"

"Not a soul has wondered any further than figuring that we've become engaged. Your wedding band is thin enough to be unnoticeable from a distance, and no one has thought to look too closely at my own hand. Oh…that woman over there has…" Edward grinned at the woman's realization that he was officially '_off the market'_. "It's nice to be claimed," he explained at Bella's questioning glance.

"Congratulations are in order, I presume?" Carlisle said softly as he and Esme came after dinner to greet Bella and Edward. Bella's face flushed red, and she looked down at her feet before meeting her father-in-law's eyes and nodding with a smile. They chatted for a few minutes about their simple ceremony and how they were glad they had avoided all the attention that was currently being lavished upon Emmett and Rosalie.

"Carlisle, is this your other son? Edward?" a strange man interrupted.

"Yes. Edward, Bella, this is Aro Volturi. He's an old acquaintance from my Doctors without Borders days," Carlisle introduced them.

'_So curious…the boy must have some intuition…I wonder…' _Aro thought. Edward shook his hand, somewhat unnerved, but the man merely dismissed himself without much further thought.

"Strange," Edward murmured.

"Don't think of it, I'm sure he's just eccentric," Bella reassured him. Edward turned to Bella and gave her a stunning smile.

"Come on, Mrs. Cullen. You owe me our first dance as husband and wife," Edward whispered in her ear. His smile widened further when he could feel the shiver course through her body.

"Do I get to stand on your feet?" she asked.

"Of course; don't you always?" Edward replied. Bella gave him a light swat in the arm; it was a habit she had picked up shortly after their trip to Phoenix. Bella was mortified the first few times she had done it; she had never been a violent person, and she couldn't understand why she was suddenly hitting Edward. He had responded with his usual response for Tanya when she would slug him; he hip-checked Bella. He had laughed at her shocked look and told her that it was something that he and Tanya had done all the time. Now, he and Bella continued the tradition.

After they had danced a few songs, and Alice was announcing the tossing of the garter and the bouquet, Edward leaned over to Bella's ear and whispered, "Those sound like activities for single people…I can think of some things that I'd rather do than watch Emmett fish under Rose's dress, or witness a group of women wrestle for a bunch of wilted flowers."

"I couldn't agree more, Edward; I couldn't agree more," Bella whispered back. She stood from the table, still grasping his hand, and pulled him behind her.

"You're mine, and I'm yours, heart and soul; now and forever, Edward," Bella said when they reached their room.

"I couldn't agree more, Bella; I couldn't agree more," he said before crashing his lips to hers and showing her just how much he loved her.

**A/N:** Here it is: the end! I have loved writing this story so much. I wouldn't have been nearly as good without my hubby's awesome beta skills, as well as frequent reviews and suggested edits/input from Justine Lark and Gleena. Thanks ladies. Everyone else, go read their wonderful stories, and don't forget to leave them a review!


End file.
